Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that foreign nationals who reside in the UK and are in the process of applying for Indefinite Leave to Remain are not unfairly penalised in their application if they do not meet the requirement to live in the UK for more than 180 days in a given one year period if they are currently abroad but cannot afford to return to the UK due to the financial cost of the new covid-19 quarantine health measures that will come in to force on Monday 15 February.

For Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), applicants must meet continuous residence requirements and are generally only allowed to be out of the UK for a maximum of 180 days in a 12-month period.

However, absences beyond 180 days can be allowed if there are serious or compelling reasons. Examples in current guidance include reference to a pandemic, and certain extended absences due to Covid-19 could fall within this definition. Each case would be considered on its own facts.