How to Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status)

DEADLINE: 30 June 2021, or 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status)

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you and your family can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021. If your application is successful, you’ll get either settled or pre-settled status.

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

You may be able to stay in the UK without applying – for example, if you’re an Irish citizen or have indefinite leave to remain.

Who should apply

Except in a few cases, you need to apply if: you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, but your family member is
The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

This means you need to apply even if you:

were born in the UK but are not a British citizen – you can check if you’re a British citizen if you’re not sure
have a UK ‘permanent residence document’
are a family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who does not need to apply – including if they’re from Ireland
are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen with a British citizen family member

Who else can apply

You may be able to apply if you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen but:

you used to have an EU, EEA or Swiss family member living in the UK (but you’ve separated, or they’ve died)
you’re the family member of a British citizen and you lived outside the UK in an EEA country together
you’re the family member of a British citizen who also has EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship and who lived in the UK as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen before getting British citizenship
you’re the primary carer of a British, EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
you’re the child of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who used to live and work in the UK, or the child’s primary carer.

What you’ll get

The rights and status of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens living in the UK will remain the same until 30 June 2021, if the UK leaves the EU with a deal.

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

If you apply to the EU Settlement Scheme successfully, you’ll be able to continue living and working in the UK after 30 June 2021.

You’ll be given either:

settled status
pre-settled status

You will not be asked to choose which you’re applying for. Which status you get depends on how long you’ve been living in the UK when you apply. Your rights will be different depending on which status you get.

Settled status
You’ll usually get settled status if you’ve:

started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 (or by the date the UK leaves the EU without a deal)
lived in the UK for a continuous 5-year period (known as ‘continuous residence’)

Five years’ continuous residence means that for 5 years in a row you’ve been in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least 6 months in any 12 month period. The exceptions are:

one period of up to 12 months for an important reason (for example, childbirth, serious illness, study, vocational training or an overseas work posting)
compulsory military service of any length
time you spent abroad as a Crown servant, or as the family member of a Crown servant
time you spent abroad in the armed forces, or as the family member of someone in the armed forces.

You can stay in the UK as long as you like if you get settled status. You’ll also be able to apply for British citizenship if you’re eligible.

Pre-settled status
If you do not have 5 years’ continuous residence when you apply, you’ll usually get pre-settled status. You must have started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 (or by the date the UK leaves the EU without a deal).

You can then apply to change this to settled status once you’ve got 5 years’ continuous residence.

If you’ll reach 5 years’ continuous residence at some point before 30 December 2020, you can choose to wait to apply until you reach 5 years’ continuous residence. This means that if your application is successful, you’ll get settled status without having to apply for pre-settled status first.

You can stay in the UK for a further 5 years from the date you get pre-settled status.

Your rights with settled or pre-settled status
You’ll be able to:

work in the UK
use the NHS
enrol in education or continue studying
access public funds such as benefits and pensions, if you’re eligible for them
travel in and out of the UK

If you want to spend time outside the UK
If you have settled status, you can spend up to 5 years in a row outside the UK without losing your status.

If you’re a Swiss citizen, you and your family members can spend up to 4 years in a row outside the UK without losing your settled status.

If you have pre-settled status, you can spend up to 2 years in a row outside the UK without losing your status. You will need to maintain your continuous residence if you want to qualify for settled status.

If you have children after applying
If you get settled status, any children born in the UK while you’re living here will automatically be British citizens.

If you get pre-settled status, any children born in the UK will be automatically eligible for pre-settled status. They will only be a British citizen if they qualify for it through their other parent.

If you want to bring family members to the UK
Your close family members can join you in the UK before 31 December 2020 (or before 31 December 2025 for spouses and civil partners of Swiss citizens). They’ll need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme once they’re here.

You may still be able to bring family members after 31 December 2020. It will depend on where you’re from, when your relationship with your family member started, and whether the UK leaves the EU with or without a deal.

If you cannot bring your family member under the EU Settlement Scheme, they may still be able to come here in a different way, for example on a family visa.

If the UK leaves the EU with a deal
If you’re a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you’ll be able to bring close family members to the UK after 31 December 2020 if both of the following apply:

your relationship with them began before 31 December 2020
you are still in the relationship when they apply to join you

If you’re a Swiss citizen, you’ll also be able to bring your spouse or civil partner to the UK until 31 December 2025 if both of the following apply:

your relationship with them began before 31 December 2025
you are still in the relationship when they apply to join you

If the UK leaves the EU without a deal
If you’re an EU citizen, the deadline for close family members joining you in the UK is 29 March 2022. You’ll only be able to bring them here if:

your relationship with them began before the UK left the EU
you are still in the relationship when they apply to join you

If you’re a citizen of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you’ll be able to bring close family members after the UK leaves the EU if both the following apply:

your relationship with them began before the UK left the EU
you are still in the relationship when they apply to join you

What you’ll need to apply
When you apply, you’ll need proof of:

your identity
your residence in the UK, unless you have a valid permanent residence document, or valid indefinite leave to remain in or enter the UK
Proof of identity
You need a valid passport or national identity card. You also need to provide a digital photo of your face.

If you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you can use any of the following:

If you do not have any of these you may be able to use other evidence in certain situations. Contact the EU Settlement Resolution Centre if you do not have an identity document.

When you apply, you can either:

scan your document and upload your photo using the ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’ app for Android
send your document in the post and upload your photo using the online application (you can take this yourself)

Scan your document
You can only use the ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’ app for Android to scan your document if you have one of the following:

valid EU, EEA or Swiss passport or ID card, if its biometric
UK-issued biometric residence card

Otherwise you’ll need to send your documents by post.

You can use someone else’s Android phone to prove your identity. You can also visit one of the organisations offering to scan your document for you. You’ll need to book an appointment and you may have to pay a fee.

The ‘ID Document Check’ app will be available for iPhone by the end of 2019.

Send your document by post
You must send your document by post if you have a:

non-EU or EEA passport
biometric residence permit
non-biometric ID card

If you have any other identity document, you can send it in the post if you cannot use the ‘ID Document Check’ app.

You’ll get your document back as soon as it has been scanned. This could be before you get your decision.

Proof of continuous residence
To be eligible for settled status, you usually need to have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least 6 months in any 12 month period for 5 years in a row. You need to provide proof of this when you apply.

If you’ve not lived here for 5 years in a row you may still be eligible for pre-settled status.

You can give your National Insurance number to allow an automated check of your residence based on tax and certain benefit records.

If this check is successful, you’ll not need to provide any documents as proof of residence. You’ll only need to provide documents if you have been here for 5 years in a row but there is not enough data to confirm this.

The Home Office will tell you immediately after you apply if you need to provide any documents. You should submit photos or scans of your documents through the online application form, rather than sending them by post.

Read what documents you can provide to the Home Office if you’re asked to provide more evidence.

If you have criminal convictions
If you’re 18 or over, the Home Office will check you have not committed serious or repeated crimes, and that you do not pose a security threat.

You’ll be asked to declare convictions that appear in your criminal record in the UK or overseas.

You do not need to declare any of the following:

convictions that do not need to be disclosed (‘spent convictions’)
warnings (‘cautions’)
alternatives to prosecution, for example speeding fines.

You’ll also be checked against the UK’s crime databases.

You’ll still be eligible for settled or pre-settled status if you’ve only been convicted of a minor crime.

You may still get settled or pre-settled status even if you have other convictions. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

If you’ve been to prison, you usually need 5 years’ continuous residence from the day you were released to be considered for settled status.

If you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
You’ll usually need to provide proof of your relationship to your family member from the EU, EEA or Switzerland.

Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme

The scheme is open – you can apply now if you’re eligible.

You can also choose to apply later depending on your circumstances.

The deadline for applying will be 30 June 2021, or 31 December 2020 if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

You can apply using any device, for example, a laptop, Android device or iPhone.

APPLY HERE

Continue your application
If you’ve already started to apply, you can continue your application.

For more Information: Visit the Website