UK Long Residence: absences before and after 11 April 2024

The 10-year Long Residence route changed on 11 April 2024. Absences that started before that day are measured one way, absences that started on or after it another way. This guide sets out both from the rules.

This is a day counter, not legal advice. It does not predict approval or refusal. Before you decide when or whether to apply, check with a qualified adviser: a 行政書士 or the authorities in Japan, and an OISC-regulated immigration adviser or solicitor in the UK.

Absences before 11 April 2024: CR 3.3

CR 3.3. Subject to CR 3.4, where the application is under Appendix Long Residence, the applicant must not have: (a) spent a total of more than 548 days outside the UK during their qualifying period, where that 548-day total was reached before 11 April 2024; and (b) been outside the UK for more than 184 days at any one time during their qualifying period, where that absence started before 11 April 2024.

Source: GOV.UK, Immigration Rules: Appendix Continuous Residence (checked 2026-10-31)

So for the part of the qualifying period before 11 April 2024 there are two tests: no more than 548 days outside the UK in total, and no single absence longer than 184 days.

Absences from 11 April 2024: the 180-day rule

The Home Office guidance says: "Any absences that started on or after 11 April 2024 must not exceed a combined total of 180 days in any rolling 12-month period."

Source: Home Office, Continuous residence caseworker guidance (version 10.0, published 8 October 2026) (checked 2026-10-31)

The guidance also explains that where an absence began before 11 April 2024 and the applicant returned on or after that date, the 12-month rolling period would not begin until the start of the next absence from the UK.

How the counter handles it

Choose "UK Long Residence (10 years)".
Trips that started before 11 April 2024 are marked, added up against 548 days, and each is checked against 184 days.
Trips that started on or after 11 April 2024 go into the rolling 180-day test.
All counts use whole days, as the guidance requires.

What to check yourself

CR 3.4 disregarded absences (for example travel disruption or compelling and compassionate circumstances).
Breaks in continuous residence that are not about absences, such as periods without permission (CR 4.1). The counter only looks at trips.
The date you count back from (CR 1.1). Try more than one reference date.