The POLISH FINANCIAL HOUSE LIMITED is a partner of an international emigration consulting corporation dealing in issuing visas for travel and work in various countries in Australia, the United States on 5 continents. We have 11 branches in the UK.
Except in a few cases, you need to apply if:
The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
This means you need to apply even if you:
Who else can apply
You may be able to apply if you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen but:
Read guidance on how to apply if you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.
Who does not need to apply
You do not need to apply if you have:
If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen and you moved to the UK before it joined the EU
You only need to apply if you do not have indefinite leave to remain. If you do have indefinite leave to remain, you’ll usually have a stamp in your passport or a letter from the Home Office saying this.
If you work in the UK but do not live here (‘frontier worker’)
You do not need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme if you’re a ‘frontier worker’.
The rights and status of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens living in the UK will remain the same until 30 June 2021, if the UK leaves the EU with a deal.
The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
If you apply to the EU Settlement Scheme successfully, you’ll be able to continue living and working in the UK after 30 June 2021.
You’ll be given either:
You will not be asked to choose which you’re applying for. Which status you get depends on how long you’ve been living in the UK when you apply. Your rights will be different depending on which status you get.
Settled status
You’ll usually get settled status if you’ve:
Five years’ continuous residence means that for 5 years in a row you’ve been in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least 6 months in any 12 month period. The exceptions are:
You can stay in the UK as long as you like if you get settled status. You’ll also be able to apply for British citizenship if you’re eligible.
Pre-settled status
If you do not have 5 years’ continuous residence when you apply, you’ll usually get pre-settled status. You must have started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 (or by the date the UK leaves the EU without a deal).
You can then apply to change this to settled status once you’ve got 5 years’ continuous residence.
If you’ll 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’ll 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’ll be able to:
If you want to spend time outside the UK
If you have settled status, you can spend up to 5 years in a row outside the UK without losing your status.
If you’re a Swiss citizen, you and your family members can spend up to 4 years in a row outside the UK without losing your settled status.
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.
If you have children after applying
If you get settled status, any children born in the UK while you’re living here will automatically be British citizens.
If you get pre-settled status, any children born in the UK will be automatically eligible for pre-settled status. They will only be a British citizen if they qualify for it through their other parent.
If you want to bring family members to the UK
Your close family members can join you in the UK before 31 December 2020 (or before 31 December 2025 if you’re a Swiss citizen). They’ll need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme once they’re here.
You may still be able to bring family members after 31 December 2020. It will depend on where you’re from, when your relationship with your family member started, and whether the UK leaves the EU with or without a deal.
If you cannot bring your family member under the EU Settlement Scheme, they may still be able to come here in a different way, for example on a family visa.
If the UK leaves the EU with a deal
If you’re a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, you’ll be able to bring close family members to the UK after 31 December 2020 if both of the following apply:
If you’re a Swiss citizen, you’ll be able to bring close family members to the UK after 31 December 2025 if both of the following apply:
If the UK leaves the EU without a deal
If you’re an EU citizen, the deadline for close family members joining you in the UK is 29 March 2022. You’ll only be able to bring them here if:
If you’re a citizen of Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you’ll be able to bring close family members after the UK leaves the EU if both the following apply:
When you apply, you’ll need proof of:
Proof of identity
You need a valid passport or national identity card. You also need to provide a digital photo of your face.
If you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you can use any of the following:
Proof of continuous residence
To be eligible for settled status, you usually need to have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for at least 6 months in any 12 month period for 5 years in a row. You need to provide proof of this when you apply.
If you’ve not lived here for 5 years in a row you may still be eligible for pre-settled status.
You can give your National Insurance number to allow an automated check of your residence based on tax and certain benefit records.
If this check is successful, you’ll not need to provide any documents as proof of residence. You’ll only need to provide documents if you have been here for 5 years in a row but there is not enough data to confirm this.
The Home Office will tell you immediately after you apply if you need to provide any documents. You should submit photos or scans of your documents through the online application form, rather than sending them by post.
Read what documents you can provide to the Home Office if you’re asked to provide more evidence.
If you have criminal convictions
If you’re 18 or over, the Home Office will check you have not committed serious or repeated crimes, and that you do not pose a security threat.
You’ll be asked to declare convictions that appear in your criminal record in the UK or overseas.
You do not need to declare any of the following:
You’ll also be checked against the UK’s crime databases.
You’ll still be eligible for settled or pre-settled status if you’ve only been convicted of a minor crime.
You may still get settled or pre-settled status even if you have other convictions. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
If you’ve been to prison, you usually need 5 years’ continuous residence from the day you were released to be considered for settled status.
If you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen
You’ll usually need to provide proof of your relationship to your family member from the EU, EEA or Switzerland.
The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
17) All EU citizens (and their families) in the UK, regardless of when they arrived, will, on the UK’s exit, need to obtain an immigration status in UK law. They will need to apply to the Home Office for permission to stay, which will be evidenced through a residence document. This will be a legal requirement but there is also an important practical reason for this. The residence document will enable EU citizens (and their families) living in the UK to demonstrate to third parties (such as employers or providers of public services) that they have permission to continue to live and work legally in the UK. Following the UK’s exit from the EU, the Government may wish to introduce controls which limit the ability of EU citizens (and their families) who arrive in the UK after exit to live and work here. As such, without a residence document, current residents may find it difficult to access the labour market and services.” Link to official document
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