Exceeded absence due to COVID. Long residence 10-year route.

[julianchin]

- Applying via 10 year route
- Passed all eligibility requirements except for exceeding the 548 day absence limit
- If COVID absence was removed, I would be within the 548 limit.
- If COVID absence was included, I would be over the limit by 134 days.
- During march 2020 COVID breakout, I was a student at a UK university. I left the UK on advice by the Uni to return home. I was in my home country from mid-March 2020 to early-September 2020, a total of less than 180 days.

For those that left the UK due to covid, and exceeded the 548 days limit, how did you make your case for
a) leaving the UK in the first place
b) not returning to the UK sooner (in my case, before September 2020)

[zimba]

UKVI does not have to exercise discretion to enable you to get ILR and discretion is often not exercised.
Also note that the 548-day absence limit only applies to absence periods that started before 11 April 2024.

Read item 2 here --> Changes to the Long Residence settlement route from 11 April 2024