Categories: EU Immigration

Applying for Settled Status in the UK

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EU residents and their relations already within the dwelling within the UK by 30 December 2020 must register underneath the settled standing UK scheme to retain their rights to stay indefinitely within the UK after 30 June 2021.

The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020. From 1  January 2021, a brand new immigration system will likely be in place which would require EU residents coming to the UK to use for a visa.

 

Who ought to apply for EU settled standing within the UK?

You need to apply for EU settled standing if you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, or a member of the family of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, dwelling within the UK.

This contains those that have been born within the UK however are usually not a British citizen; these with a UK everlasting residence card; relations of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen (together with Irish citizen) who doesn’t want to use; those that have EU, EEA or Swiss nationality with a British citizen member of the family.

You do not want to use for settled standing if you’re an Irish citizen, you probably have been granted indefinite depart to enter or stay.

 

Settled standing for non-EU relations

Non-European relations of EU residents  – akin to a partner, civil companion, long run companion, dependent baby or grandchild, and dependent mum or dad or grandparent – can also have the ability to apply for the standing, on the premise of their relationship to the EU nationwide, the place the next applies:

  • the non-EU relative used to have an EU, EEA or Swiss member of the family dwelling within the UK however this relationship is now not subsisting, for instance attributable to separation or loss of life
  • the non-EU particular person is expounded to a British citizen and lived outdoors the UK in an EEA nation collectively
  • the non-EU particular person is expounded to a British citizen who additionally has EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship and who lived within the UK as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen earlier than getting British citizenship
  • the non-EU relative is the first carer of a British, EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
  • the non-EU relative is the kid of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who used to reside and work within the UK, or the kid’s main carer

 

Making use of concurrently the EU relative is inspired and more likely to result in sooner processing. Along with evidencing their EU relative’s standing, non-EEA relations may even have to submit proof of their very own id, residence within the UK and relationship to the EU citizen.

Non-EEA relations dwelling abroad will nonetheless have the ability to be a part of an EU citizen resident within the UK till 29 March 2022, supplied the connection existed on the date of Brexit. Future kids are additionally protected.

 

What’s pre-settled standing?

Those that have lived within the UK for five years or extra on a steady foundation must be granted settled standing. If, nonetheless, you will have lived within the UK for lower than 5 years, you’ll normally be granted pre-settled standing.. To be eligible for pre-settled standing you should have began dwelling within the UK by 31 December 2020, or by the date the UK leaves the EU and not using a deal.

Within the occasion that you’re granted pre-settled standing, you can be allowed to stay within the UK for five years, after which you’ll apply for settled standing.

 

What counts as ‘steady residence’?

Settled standing is out there to people who can present 5 years of steady residence within the UK earlier than 31 December 202o.

To be repeatedly resident within the UK, it typically means you should have been dwelling within the UK for at the very least 6 months out of any twelve-month interval claimed in direction of your five-year whole.

There isn’t any restriction on the variety of absences permitted in the course of the qualifying interval, supplied that the entire interval of absence doesn’t exceed six months in any twelve-month interval.

There are additionally some exceptions to the six month rule, for instance, a single interval of absence of greater than six months however which doesn’t exceed twelve months is permitted the place that is for an essential motive, akin to being pregnant, childbirth, severe sickness, examine, vocational coaching or an abroad posting.

For those who don’t have, or are unable to indicate you will have, 5 years’ steady UK residence, you could be granted pre settled standing, conferring you 5 years’ depart to stay, after which you’d qualify and apply for the complete, indefinite settled standing.

 

Settled standing eligibility & absence from the UK attributable to COVID

In response to the COVID pandemic, many EU residents took the choice to go away the UK and return to their house nation, maybe to work remotely or attributable to caring duties.

Current UK authorities steerage, nonetheless, signifies this era of absence might detrimentally have an effect on the person’s eligibility to qualify for full settled standing.

The continual residence guidelines require that if a person is absent from the UK for greater than six months in any 12-month interval throughout their qualifying five-year residency, they now not qualify for full settled standing, until distinctive circumstances apply.

The problem is whether or not prolonged absence from the UK as a result of pandemic qualifies as an distinctive circumstance.

Dwelling Workplace steerage in January 2021 has said that solely in circumstances the place the person can present their absence was attributable to having been sick with COVID or attributable to compelled quarantine could also be thought-about as an exception to the absence requirement.

This implies EU residents with pre-settled standing who’ve been out of the UK for greater than six months in the course of the pandemic will lose their automated proper to full settled standing and to return to the UK to reside with lawful indefinite standing, until they will show distinctive circumstances.

 

Making use of for settled standing

The appliance course of is accomplished on-line or through an iPhone or Android app. It contains three levels:

  1. Identification – every applicant might want to confirm their id and nationality, both by means of their passport, nationwide id card or biometric residence allow.
  2. Eligibility – every applicant might want to show that they’re resident within the UK. Right here, employment and profit data will likely be checked on an automatic foundation to ascertain steady residence, though it is possible for you to to add extra proof to fill any gaps.
  3. Suitability – legal checks will likely be undertaken of any applicant over 18, the place anybody responsible of great or persistent criminality both within the UK or abroad, might have their utility underneath the brand new scheme denied.

If you’re making use of as a member of the family of an eligible EU citizen from outdoors the EU, additionally, you will want to offer proof of your relationship to that member of the family, for instance, a beginning, marriage or civil partnership certificates.

When making use of, you’ll both have to scan your doc and add your photograph utilizing the ‘EU Exit: ID Doc Examine’ app utilizing an Android telephone, or an iPhone 7 or above, or ship your doc within the put up and add your photograph utilizing the web utility.

 

Making use of for settled standing for a kid

Kids underneath the age of 21 ought to apply for settled standing the place they’re EU, EEA or Swiss residents, or the place they aren’t an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, however their mum or dad is.

Functions for kids might be linked to their mother and father’ utility. Proof of your relationship to the kid will likely be required with the applying.

The place a mum or dad’s utility is permitted, any linked kids must be granted the identical standing.

As with grownup candidates, the place a toddler doesn’t have 5 years’ steady residence once they apply, they’d normally be granted pre-settled standing, supplied they have been dwelling within the UK by 31 December 2020. With 5 years underneath pre-settled standing, they’d then apply for full settled standing.

If the kid has not but attained 5 years’ steady residence however will achieve this earlier than 30 June 2021, you could wait and apply for full settled standing on the 5-year mark, slightly than making use of for pre-settled standing.

 

How a lot does settled standing UK price?

There isn’t any utility charge for these making use of for settled standing.

For those who at the moment maintain UK everlasting residence, transferring to settled standing may even be freed from cost.

When you have collected 5 years’ residence and are making use of to switch from pre-settled to settled standing underneath the scheme, once more there will likely be no cost.

 

What’s the deadline to use for settled standing?

The settled standing scheme closes on 30 June 2021.

That is the deadline for purposes for these resident within the UK by the top of 2020.

Below present steerage, those that fail to register earlier than the deadline will change into illegally current within the UK.

 

Do I’ve to use from the UK?

No, your utility might be constituted of outdoors the UK.

 

Does settled standing expire?

A generally requested query is, how lengthy is settled standing legitimate for? Settled standing grants indefinite permission to stay within the UK. Nonetheless, must you depart the UK for a interval of greater than 5 years, your settled standing will likely be misplaced.

For those who maintain pre-settled standing, the interval of absence is 2 years, at which level your standing is misplaced.

 

Can I apply for a British passport with settled standing?

To use for a British passport, you must maintain British citizenship. EU residents trying to naturalise as a British citizen ought to first apply for settled standing earlier than making their utility for citizenship.

 

What if I have already got UK Everlasting Residency or Indefinite Depart to Stay?

For those who at the moment maintain UK everlasting residence, you’ll be able to apply to switch to settled standing. That is additionally freed from cost.

If you have already got indefinite depart to stay or enter, you’ll not be required to use for settled standing. Nonetheless, you could contemplate this selection since settled standing permits absences of as much as 5 years with out lack of standing, whereas ILR is proscribed to 2 years in another country. Take recommendation in your circumstances.

 

What if I’ve not lived within the UK for five years?

For EU residents and their relations who arrive within the UK by 31 December 2020 however is not going to have been repeatedly resident for 5 years, will as a substitute be granted pre-settled standing. This can allow them to remain till they’ve reached the five-year threshold, at which stage they will apply for settled standing.

 

Examine settled standing within the UK

If you’re granted settled or pre-settled standing, you can be despatched a letter confirming the choice. Be aware that this letter can’t be used to show your standing.

To verify or show your standing, you might want to use the Dwelling Workplace’s on-line system.

When you have utilized as a non-EU citizen, you can be issued a doc as proof, if you don’t have already got a biometric residence allow.

 

What is going to my rights be with settled standing?

These granted both settled standing or pre-settled standing will proceed to take pleasure in the identical entitlements to work, examine and entry healthcare, pension and different advantages within the UK as per the foundations previous to the transition interval.

Kids born within the UK to those that have been granted settled standing will likely be British residents.

As well as, present shut relations dwelling abroad will have the ability to be a part of you within the UK sooner or later in the identical approach as they will now, supplied your relationship with them started earlier than 31 December 2020 and you’re nonetheless within the relationship once they apply to hitch you.

A detailed member of the family features a partner, civil companion, sturdy companion, in addition to a dependent baby, grandchild, mum or dad or grandparent. This contains the kid, grandchild, mum or dad or grandparent of your partner or civil companion.

 

Refused settled standing?

In case your utility has been refused, or you probably have been granted pre settled standing as a substitute of settled standing, you’ll have choices. The choice letter from the Dwelling Workplace ought to provide the causes for the choice, and clarify in case you can both apply once more, ask for the choice to be checked out once more as a part of an administrative overview, or enchantment the choice.

For instance, in case you utilized for pre-settled standing by mistake, it is best to have the ability to apply to once more for full settled standing, or you probably have new info or proof to show try to be granted full and never pre-settled standing, it is best to apply once more with this new supporting documentation.

Appeals are solely accessible in case you utilized after 11pm on 31 January 2020 and got pre-settled standing as a substitute of settled standing. For those who utilized earlier than this time, you’ll be able to’t enchantment however you’ll be able to apply once more or ask for an administrative overview. A written enchantment prices £80 or an enchantment listening to prices £140, which is refundable in case you win your enchantment.

Want help?

DavidsonMorris is a regulation agency specialising in UK immigration. We assist people with their UK immigration wants, and may information and help you thru any Dwelling Workplace course of, together with an utility to safe your rights to stay within the UK underneath settled standing. When you have any questions, please contact us.

 

Settled standing UK FAQs

How lengthy does settled standing final?

UK settled standing is indefinite, however could also be misplaced if you’re absent from the UK for greater than 5 years.

What’s UK settled standing?

EU, EEA and Swiss residents and their households have to use for UK settled standing to proceed dwelling lawfully within the UK after 30 June 2021.

How do I verify my pre settled standing?

You’ll be able to verify and show your standing utilizing the Dwelling Workplace’s on-line system.

 

Final up to date: 10 February 2021

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