EU Settlement Scheme

If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who entered the UK before the 31 December 2020, you need to apply for settled or pre-settled status to continue to live, study or work in the UK.

You should apply now and before the 30 June 2021. This tool will help guide you.

Yes, if your course finishes after the 30 June 2021 you must apply. If your course finishes before this date, you may still want to apply if you think you will want to study further in the UK or work here in the future.

No, they do not as they are protected under the UK-Ireland Common Travel Area arrangements. This means that Irish citizens do not need to apply under the scheme. Nonetheless, Irish citizens can make an application under the scheme, should they wish to do so.

Permanent residence documents will not be a valid proof of residence after December 2020 so you will still need to apply for settled status even if you have previously applied for the permanent residence permit. You will not have to prove you have been resident in the UK for five years or more if you have a permanent residence document.

If you have been awarded British citizenship, you are not required to apply for settled status.

No, your indefinite leave to remain will continue to be valid after the end of the transition period and there is no need for you to apply for settled status. However, if you do apply for settled status it means you will be able to live outside the UK for periods of up to five years without your settled status lapsing (indefinite leave to remain lapses after an absence of two years or more).

No, applications are free. Those who applied while the scheme was in its test phase and paid a fee, received a refund.

The app needed to apply for settlement is available on iOS (iPhone model 7 and above) and Android devices. You can download the app by going to the Apple Store or Google Play Store and searching ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’.

Please note, the device you are using needs to be equipped with NFC (near field communication) for the app to work.

Applicants must use the EU Exit: ID Document Check app to verify their identity. You can use someone else’s device to complete this initial step of the application – the rest of the application can then be completed on that device or any smartphone, laptop or computer. If you cannot use the EU Exit: ID Document Check app it is possible to visit a centre that offers ID document scanning. The one closest to Bournemouth is in Southampton.

Yes, you can in most cases. For further information, read the government's guidance.

Yes, you can send your documents by post.

If you live in the UK for five years or more continuously* you should be eligible for settled status. If you have lived in the UK for less than five years, you should be eligible for pre-settled status, which you can then apply to have changed to settled status once you have hit the five-year mark. Find out more about settled and pre-settled status on the government's website.

* Continuous residence means that for five years in a row you have been in the UK for at least six months in any 12-month period, except for:

• 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

If you have had an absence that has broken your continuous residence you can still apply for pre-settled status and after reaching five years of unbroken continuous residence you can then apply for settled status. If you have been resident here for five years continuously in the past you could rely on that historic period of residence in a settled status application, provided you have not been absent for a continuous period of two years since then.

No, your status will not change automatically. You will need to apply for settled status once you become eligible to do so.

Yes, you will. EU citizens who enter the UK to live here before 11pm (midnight CET) on 31 December 2020 will be able to apply for settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme.

EU/EEA/Swiss nationals who arrive to live here after this time will be treated as visa nationals and will need immigration permission in order to remain or return to the UK. For students this means applying under the Student Route for courses longer than six months.

No, you do not.

Yes, but only if you need to cover the period until your settled or pre-settled status is confirmed. Find out more about your rights in the UK as a settled or pre-settled EU/EEA/Swiss citizen here.

The Home Office will use your HMRC or DWP records (if applicable) to confirm how long you have been in the UK. If these records do not match the length of time you have actually lived in the UK, you will need to provide additional evidence of your residence. Photos or scans of documents can be uploaded as evidence of your UK residence. See here for information on the types of evidence that may be acceptable.

You will be granted a digital status; the Home Office will store this electronically. Once you receive your status, details will be provided on how to access it on GOV.UK. This will enable you to prove your rights to others online, including the university, employers and landlords. Further information will be emailed to you, so it is important that you use an email address you will continue to have access to (NOT your university email).

Yes, as part of enrolment or re-enrolment, or on request.

Yes, it will lapse if you are absent from the UK for five consecutive years. Pre-settled status will lapse after an absence of two consecutive years (similar to restrictions on indefinite leave to remain).