If you have previously been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and have been away from the UK for more than two years then you will need to apply for a Returning Resident visa. Applying for one follows a different set of protocols than other UK visa applications.

What is UK Returning Resident visa?

A UK returning resident is somebody with permission to live in the UK, without a time limit. Having left the country and not returning for more than 2 years, when the applicant wants to go back to living in the UK, a UK Returning Resident Visa is required. Although, once you are granted the visa and enter the UK, you can live there permanently.

Know various UK EEA Family Permit visa – Click here

The procedure for UK Returning Resident visa

An applicant is required to apply for this visa if they have been away from the UK for more than 2 years. Factors like which country you are currently in also affect the procedure for application. For instance, the general application procedure is available online; unless you are in North Korea.

In that case, you have to download the UK returning resident visa application form, and submit it as instructed on the portal. It does not follow the regular procedure.

Requirements for applying you’ve been away for more than 2 years

  • Did not receive any public funding assistance to leave the UK;
  • Application is for resettlement; and
  • Were granted settled status before you left

Documents required

  • Previous passports and current passport
  • A passport-sized photograph (colour)
  • Documents that prove your ties to the UK, for example, employment letters, salary slips, rented or owned property, etc.
  • Documents evidencing your present circumstances and why you have lived outside the UK

The fee for returning resident visa UK

  • The fee for returning resident application is £516

Period of Application

  • The process of visa and other services could be faster, depending on the country you’re applying from – it will help to check with the visa application centre.
  • It doesn’t take more than 3-4 weeks to get a decision since your appointment at the visa application centre
Have you ever been refused a Visa to the UK, though you have met with all the requirements that are needed for a visa application? If you have, do you know what the next step is? Know here.

Contact UK Returning Resident visa lawyers / expert

The information mentioned above are some basic requirements to apply for a UK Returning Resident visa, although, there are many other parameters that you need to keep in mind and when these aspects go unseen, the application gets rejected.

Now the question that arises, is, how would you know what these parameters are and how they work?

We have just the solution for you….

We have UK immigration lawyers and experts based in India (Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore)– consulting clients online from all around the world over Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp and if they want to meet us in person, they can do that presently at our offices in Mumbai and Delhi.

You can reach out to our lawyer / expert on, also you can search in Google by typing: ‘UK Returning Resident visa lawyers / expert near me’

Suppose I am an immigrant I live in UK I want to go back to my own country India but not permanent for some time then would I need a visa for that no.

- Question asked in a forum
If you are an Indian national with a valid Indian passport, you can return to your home country without the need for a visa.