A No Time Limit (NTL) application allows individuals who hold Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the form of an old-style vignette to apply to replace their paper immigration document with an eVisa.
What is a No Time Limit application?
Many individuals with ILR have proof of their status in the form of a passport stamp, sticker or vignette in a current or expired passport; this is often referred to as holding a paper immigration document, or a ‘legacy’ document.
Individuals who hold paper immigration documents are being advised to make an NTL application to replace their document with an eVisa.
No Time Limit applications and eVisas
As the Home Office moves to digitalise the immigration system, all immigration statuses will be replaced by an online ‘eVisa’. In order to apply for an eVisa, immigration status holders will be required to register for a UKVI account first. Once registered, individuals will be able to view and prove their status online.
If you have ILR, also known as settlement, and your evidence of this is on a document other than a BRP, for example, a stamp or vignette in your passport, you will be required to make an NTL application for digital confirmation of your status in the form of an eVisa.
Optional or mandatory?
Whilst it has not been expressly stated that an NTL application is mandatory, given the digital changes, it appears that such an application is crucial for individuals to ultimately obtain proof of their status in the form of an eVisa. Without making such an application, individuals with paper immigration documents will be unable to create a UKVI account in order to view and prove their immigration status.
When to consider making an NTL application
The Home Office initially aimed to have a fully digitalised immigration system by 1 January 2025, however, it was recently announced that the full implementation of eVisas would be delayed.
Individuals who hold a BRP are now being advised to create a UKVI account in order to access their eVisa, and many individuals are receiving invites from UKVI requesting that they do so. Individuals who hold ILR in the form of a paper immigration document are unlikely to receive such emails, and are therefore at risk of being unaware of the new digitalised system. It is not yet known whether the Home Office will put in place protections for those who hold historic ILR endorsements in terms of being able to adequately prove their status.
We therefore strongly recommend that individuals who hold an old-style ILR endorsement make an NTL application sooner rather than later.
Who can make an NTL application?
An individual must hold valid ILR in the UK in order to make an NTL application. In addition to this, their ILR status must not have been invalidated through deportation, revoked on the basis of being liable for deportation, or because permission was obtained by deception.
ILR may also lapse if an individual has been outside of the UK for a continuous two-year period. Therefore, it is important to check that this is not the case prior to making an NTL application. Individuals who have been outside the UK continuously for more than two years may instead need to make an application for a Returning Resident visa.
Home Office fees and processing times
Once the application is submitted online, you will be required to attend an appointment in order to provide your biometric information at a TLScontact centre.
There is no Home Office fee for this application and you should receive a decision within six months, although there is always the possibility for delays with any Home Office application.
Fortunately, however, NTL applicants can continue to travel outside of the Common Travel Area (United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland) whilst their application is pending a decision.
eVisas
Successful applicants will receive an email from UKVI confirming their status, along with instructions on how to create their UKVI account and access their eVisa.
We discussed in detail what an eVisa is, how to apply for one and the advantages and disadvantages of this new system here.
For more information on the Home Office’s wider digitalisation strategy, you can find the latest developments and key information here.
NTL applications: How our Immigration Solicitors can help
If you require legal advice regarding making a No Time Limit application or any other aspect of immigration law, our immigration specialists are on hand to assist. Please contact us or complete our enquiry form below.
This article was originally published in March 2020 and has been updated. It is accurate as of the new date of publication shown.
