EU Settlement Scheme: at a glance information for applicants (accessible version)
Updated 14 March 2023
© Crown copyright 2023
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-communications-information-for-applicants/eu-settlement-scheme-at-a-glance-information-for-applicants-accessible-version
This guide is for EU, EEA or Swiss citizens and their family members, living in the UK, who have secured status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or are waiting to hear the outcome of an application made before the deadline on 30 June 2021.
For those citizens resident in the UK by 31 December 2020, the deadline for applications to be made to the EUSS was 30 June 2021.
If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen or their family member who was resident in the UK by 31 December 2020, and you did not make an application to the EUSS by the deadline of 30 June 2021 or do not hold Indefinite Leave to Enter or Indefinite Leave to Remain or a valid UK visa, then your rights, including the right to live, work, study, and access benefits and services in the UK are not protected. You can still make an application and should do so as soon as possible. There is guidance available for late applications on GOV.UK.
Since 1 July 2021, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members have had to evidence their right to be in the UK through a valid UK immigration status. You can obtain this status through the EUSS or you can obtain a valid visa under the points-based immigration system.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can expect to be asked to show their digital immigration status to prove their right to work, or their right to rent to landlords in England. Other departments, such as HMRC, DWP and the NHS, will have automatic access to check a person’s eligibility for free healthcare, benefits and access to public funds.
How to access and update your digital immigration status
You can view your EUSS status online, via the view and prove your immigration status service. Individuals with pre-settled or settled status under the EUSS should ensure that they update their online account with all valid travel documents (such as passports or national identity cards) that they hold and intend to use for travel, to avoid any unnecessary delays at the border.
Please refer to the following guide on GOV.UK for further information about using your digital status: ‘Your immigration status: an introduction for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens’.
Pending applications
Anyone who made an application to the EUSS by the 30 June 2021 deadline will have their rights protected, pending the outcome of their application. Applicants are issued with a Certificate of Application, which can be relied on to evidence their rights.
A Certificate of Application is accessible to view online, via the view and prove your immigration status service. If you are waiting for your Certificate of Application, the email acknowledging receipt of your application explains how prospective employers and landlords can request information about your right to work and rent from the Employer or Landlord Checking Services.
Switching from pre-settled status to settled status
If you hold pre-settled status, you can apply to switch to settled status as soon as you’re eligible. This is usually after you’ve lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 5 years in a row (known as ‘continuous residence’). You do not need to have held pre settled status for 5 years before you can apply to switch to settled status. To switch, you must apply to the EUSS again before your pre-settled status expires. See more information on switching from pre-settled status to settled status.
Joining family members
Family members of any nationality of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens who were resident in the UK by 31 December 2020, can apply to the EUSS at any time, where the family relationship was formed by 31 December 2020 (except where a child was born or adopted after it) and continues to exist.
They may be able to apply to the EUSS from outside the UK or they may need to apply for an EUSS family permit to come to the UK and then apply to the EUSS once here.
For further information please see the guidance published on GOV.UK ‘Information for applicants’.
For questions about your application, you can call the Settlement Resolution Centre on 0300 123 7379 from inside the UK or +44 (0)20 3080 0010 from outside the UK (Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm and Saturday to Sunday, 9.30am to 4.30pm).