If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen you and your family will be able to apply to the EU settlement scheme to continue living in the UK after the 30th June 2021.
Who should apply?
- You are an EU, EEA (including Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or a Swiss citizen.
- Your family member is an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen but you are not.
- You were born in the UK but are not a British citizen.
- Are a family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who does not need to apply – including if they are from Ireland.
- If you are married to a British citizen and you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.
- If you have a UK permanent residence document, the process is slightly different – Your document is not a permanent residence document if it has ‘registration certificate’ written on it. If you are from the EU, EEAor Switzerland your permanent residence document will say ‘Document Certifying Permanent Residence’. To continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021 you must either apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (you will not have to prove you have 5 years’ continuous residence) or apply for citizenship before the 30th June 2021.
If your application is successful, you will be granted a settled or pre-settled status.
Settled status
- started living in the UK by 31 December 2020
- 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 have been in the UK 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
You can stay in the UK as long as you like if you get settled status. You will also be able to apply for British citizenship if you are eligible.
Pre-settled status
If you do not have 5 years’ continuous residence when you apply, you will usually get pre-settled status. You must have started living in the UK by 31 December 2020.
You can then apply to change this to settled status once you have 5 years’ continuous residence.
If you will 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 will 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 will 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 have settled status, you should be able to spend up to 5 years in a row outside the UK without losing your status. This is still subject to approval by Parliament.
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.
Here at ePayMe our specialist team are on hand to answer any questions and to assist with candidates who may need guidance with the settlement scheme. Call us on 01252 863 700 or Contact Us Today
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