UK visas: "Settlement" term and 2 confusing meanings of it
![Image](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN82s5eY-BWR7rptWWkxTIfnNBgJ82jUESg4XKu119Ziwd2KJusL0IgH8gy841nRJl8QYcX8XbYn2do6_mEmPq-X8YB0rwIUU7PjjYVhb382W9eo7nbuuHDw8R-FbQHeBsBKlm_FLRT03GzQDeKmWie0LyEVDXMnMMh9pZYK9a4ETy5gKcKpcInkbXbBc/s320/Settlement%20as%20a%20Skilled%20Worker.png)
You may have heard “Applying for a Settlement visa” or “Apply to settle in the UK”, or Priority fast-track service being offered for a “Settlement” category. What does it all mean? If you are outside the UK, the term “Settlement visa” does not refer to a permanent visa. It refers to a category that will lead to Settlement (permanent residency) in the UK, eventually, usually after 5 years. Examples: spouse or partner of a UK citizen. Visas like Skilled Worker are considered “temporary”, even the they also lead to Settlement after 5 years. Just how it works. So, if you are applying for an entry visa as a Partner and wish to choose the Priority service, you need to choose "Priority - Settlement". If you are inside the UK, the term “Settlement” refers to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR). It is a permanent residency status, hence the word “Settlement”. In fact, the most recent sections of the UK Immigration Rules do not even refer to ILR anymore, instead they say ‘Settlement”,