There are many types of immigration status. The most common you will hear about are
- Refugee status
- Indefinite leave to remain
- Discretionary leave
Find out more about visas and immigration on GOV.UK.
Refugee status
You can receive Refugee status if the Home Office recognises you as a refugee. This definition is in the Refugee Convention.
A person given refugee status is usually granted leave to remain in the UK for 5 years.
At the end of this 5 years, you can apply for Indefinite leave to remain.
Indefinite leave to remain
Indefinite leave to remain is how you settle in the UK. It’s also called ‘settlement’.
It gives you the right to:
- live, work and study here for as long as you like
- apply for benefits if you’re eligible
- apply for British citizenship
You can check if you can get indefinite leave to remain on GOV.UK.
Discretionary leave
This means the Home Office has decided you cannot receive refugee status or humanitarian protection. But, there are other strong reasons why you need to temporarily stay in the UK.
If all your immigration appeal rights have been used
We'll do an assessment to decide whether removing your leaving care support would breach your human rights.
Find out more about human rights on the Citizen’s Advice website.