Petitions/Combine time spent on Skilled Worker & dependant visas to count towards ILR
StatusOngoing
Opened4 Sept 2026
Closes
Government response
Parliamentary debateNot eligible
Milestones

We believe skilled workers, their children and families are suffering from current rules. We call on the Home Office to allow visa holders to combine their time on a Skilled Worker visa as a dependant and the main applicant, so it counts towards their 5-year Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) route.

Currently, switching between main applicant and dependant statuses resets the ILR qualifying time to zero. We believe this rule is unfair and forces legal, taxpaying families who have lived and worked continuously in the UK for 5 years to start over. It can result in severe financial distress through redundant visa fees and HIS surcharges. We call on the Home Office to change this rule.

10,000
100,000

Constituency engagement ranking

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
1Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP
Slough
8
Heidi Alexander
2Heidi Alexander MP
Swindon South
3
Sarah Jones
3Sarah Jones MP
Croydon West
1
Matthew Pennycook
4Matthew Pennycook MP
Greenwich and Woolwich
1
Kevin Bonavia
5Kevin Bonavia MP
Stevenage
1
Will Stone
6Will Stone MP
Swindon North
1
Graeme Downie
7Graeme Downie MP
Dunfermline and Dollar
1
Chris Kane
8Chris Kane MP
Stirling and Strathallan
1