Quick-read guide to the UK’s HC 836 rule changes announced on 24 June 2025

What are the HC 836 rule changes and who do they affect?

By counting overlooked periods of lawful stay and clarifying continuous-residence rules, the Home Office has removed several hidden traps with the new HC 836 rule changes. Additionally, the stricter Part 9 signals a less forgiving stance toward applicants with serious adverse immigration history. The new changes affect the following appendices:

• Appendix Long Residence
• Appendix Continuous Residence
• Appendix Private Life
• EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Part 9
• Appendix International Armed Forces and International Civilian Employees

Appendix EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

New test for “continuous residence”

The definition of a “continuous qualifying period” in Appendix EU is revised. A pre-settled status will still qualify for continuous residence if:

• You have spent at least 30 months in the UK during the last 60 months.
• The “no more than 180 days away each year” rule no longer applies for this settlement route.

This replaces the rigid six-month-per-year model that caused inadvertent breaches during prolonged study, caring duties, or pandemic travel bans. It offers more flexibility for families who have needed to return home for specific reasons. 

How to show your qualifying period?

GP registration records and HMRC employment history are a reliable way to give a month-by-month footprint of your time spent in the UK. These can be used to show and explain your absences for absence audits.

Appendix Long Residence and Appendix Continuous Residence

Recognising time spent as a British citizen 

• Appendix Long Residence sees a change to the qualifying period requirements. It confirms that any period in which an applicant held British citizenship will qualify as “lawful residence.” This does not apply if British Citizenship is deprived. 
• Time spent as a British citizen (even if renounced to become a citizen of another country) counts towards the 10-year total (unless that citizenship has been taken away for deception). 
• Legal Residence under a UK equivalent visa in Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man (the Crown Dependencies) will be treated as time spent in the UK and count towards the ten-year total for UK settlement. 
• Where naturalisation occurred mid-stay, advisers should retrieve the previous citizenship certificate and related correspondence regarding deprivation to demonstrate that the status has never been cancelled.

The clarifications seek to resolve anomalies highlighted by immigration officials and practitioners. 

Appendix Private-life route

Any FLR (FP) cases made before June 2022 for young adults and long-resident children may be eligible to switch to the shorter five-year path

• Children with seven years’ residence and young adults who satisfy the half-life test have enjoyed a five-year route to settlement since 2022. HC 836 extends that concession to people who first entered under the family rules before 20 June 2022 to prevent earlier arrivals from being disadvantaged. 
• Young adults aged 18-25 who first got leave to remain under the family or private life route before 20 June 2022 can settle after 5 years instead of 10 if they arrived before they were 18 and have spent at least half their lives living in the UK.

Part 9: Automatic refusal if you have ever been excluded from asylum or humanitarian protection

Under amended Part 9, an application must be refused, and an existing permission cancelled if the person has been excluded from asylum or humanitarian protection. Case-worker discretion has been removed. This also applies if excluded from non-refoulement safeguards.

Where Article 3 or Article 8 obligations preclude removal, the individual can receive only restricted, time-limited leave. Only short, restricted leave, like Temporary Protected Status can be given where human rights law blocks removal.

Appendix International Armed Forces and International Civilian Employees

Pre-clearance removed for 50 specialist contractors on Ministry of Defence request

• 50 specialists from the U.S. Department of Energy and their contractors will soon be able to fly to the UK at a few hours’ notice when urgent repairs are needed on American military kit stationed in the UK. 
• Current immigration rules treat civilian staff of foreign forces as ordinary visitors, meaning they must get a visa in advance. The application process can take two days even on the “super-priority” track.
• The updated rule adds Energy-Department technicians to the list of “International Civilian Employees”, letting Border Force grant them permission at the airport as long as they meet the usual security checks.

How Can IAS Help With Your UK Visa Application?

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Regardless of where you’re coming from or what your chosen immigration pathway is, we can help you with almost all UK immigration and visa cases, using our years of experience and compassionate customer service to help get you to where you need to go.

We also offer fast-track and urgent application packages if you need to submit your application to a deadline.

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