An immersion lithography apparatus has a controller (500) configured to control a substrate table (WT) to move along an exposure route including in order: an entry motion (R2) in which the substrate moves from an off-substrate position at which the immersion space (10) does not overlap the substrate (W) to an on-substrate position at which the immersion space at least partially overlaps the substrate, a transfer motion (R3, R4) in which the substrate table changes speed and/or direction and moves for at least a transfer time after the substrate moves to the on-substrate position, and an expose motion in which the substrate is scanned and the patterned beam is projected onto the substrate, wherein throughout the transfer motion at least a part of the immersion space overlaps the substrate and wherein the patterned bean is not projected onto the substrate during the entry motion and the transfer motion.