We are asked this question all the time, especially by Australian citizens. Perhaps it has something to do with the state of economy but more and more people take an opportunity to work abroad, such as in Australia, Singapore, USA, the Middle East, Russia, Brazil, China and many other countries. Most people know not to leave the UK for too long during their 5 years qualifying period on visas like Tier 1 General, HSMP, Tier 2, Work Permit, Ancestral. However, what happens once you have an ILR? Can you go and work abroad, do you have to come back and when? Can you go and work, say, in Australia for a year, then come back and apply for British Citizenship? Firstly, an ILR is supposed to be a permanent visa but in fact it's not that 'permanent'. You can lose an ILR if you leave the UK for more than 2 years in a row. Such as leave for 2 years without coming back. An ILR will be lost and you'd have to start residency from the beginning. So, as long as you don't lea