With the UK now having left the European Union, the government are reminding and encouraging any European citizens eligible for either the settled or pre-settles status scheme to make their applications as the deadline of the 30th of June 2021 draws ever nearer.
The scheme which commenced in March 2019 is for those already in the UK and as a reminder:
- EU/EEA nationals who have lived and worked in the UK for five years by 31 December 2020 will be eligible to apply for “indefinite leave to remain” or full settled status.
- Anyone who has not lived in the UK for the required period by the exit date can apply for “pre-settled status” which is automatically upgraded once five years’ residency is reached.
- Irish nationals are exempt.
- EFTA countries (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland & Liechtenstein) are included and need to apply.
The government have this month updated their statistics, last updated in June 2020 to confirm nearly 4.9 million individuals have now applied with a large increase unsurprisingly in December prior to the actual exit.
Applications are made on-line and the application process can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
