EU Settlement Scheme: settled and pre-settled status

The EU Settlement Scheme is not an immigration route in the usual sense. It exists to protect the position of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, and their family members, who were living in the UK when free movement ended. If you are moving to the UK now, it does not apply to you and you need a visa on one of the ordinary routes — see the EU, EEA and Switzerland page. If you were here by the end of 2020, or you are the family member of someone who was, this guide covers what the scheme still offers in 2026.

Who can still apply

The core condition is residence in the UK by 31 December 2020 as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, or as the family member of one. The original deadline was 30 June 2021, but late applications are still accepted where there are reasonable grounds for the delay — for example a child whose parent did not apply for them, someone with a serious medical condition, or a person who did not realise they needed to apply. The Home Office decides reasonable grounds case by case, and the bar has become stricter over time. A late application that does not set out reasonable grounds is normally rejected as invalid rather than considered.

Family members can still join a person with status. A joining family member — a spouse, civil partner, child, dependent parent or, in some cases, a durable partner — applies from outside the UK for an EU Settlement Scheme family permit, normally on the basis of a relationship that existed by 31 December 2020 (children born or adopted later are covered). The permit is usually valid for six months; once in the UK the family member applies to the scheme itself. From 8 October 2026, under Statement of Changes HC 584, a first-time joining family member must apply within three months of their most recent lawful entry to the UK; someone previously refused after entering without a family permit needs reasonable grounds for a later application, or must re-enter with a permit.

Pre-settled and settled status

Settled status is permanent residence. It is usually based on five years’ qualifying residence, counted from the date you started living in the UK, and current rules also allow many pre-settled status holders to qualify where they have been resident in the UK for at least 30 months in the most recent 60 months. It has no expiry date, no conditions on work or study, and it is the basis for British citizenship.

Pre-settled status is for people who had not yet reached five years when they applied. It used to be a five-year grant that had to be renewed or upgraded. That has changed: the Home Office now extends pre-settled status automatically before it expires, and since 2025 has been converting eligible holders to settled status automatically where its records — tax, benefits and other data — show qualifying residence, using the 30-months-in-60 test. You do not need to wait for that: you can apply for settled status yourself as soon as you qualify, and doing so is the surest way to secure it.

Continuous residence for the five years means not being outside the UK for more than six months in any twelve-month period, with exceptions for a single absence of up to twelve months for an important reason such as pregnancy, serious illness, study or a work posting, and for compulsory military service. Certain pandemic-related absences are also disregarded.

Losing status

Both settled and pre-settled status lapse after more than five continuous years outside the UK (four for Swiss citizens and their family members). Someone whose settled status has lapsed and who wants to return to live in the UK would look at the Returning Resident route, which is stricter than the scheme itself.

Proving your status

EUSS status is held digitally through your UKVI account. Some non-EEA family members were also issued biometric residence cards before the Home Office stopped issuing them in 2024; the digital record is now what counts, and from 9 December 2026 an expired BRP can no longer be used as proof of identity in an application. You prove your status through your UKVI account, generating a share code for employers, landlords and the NHS where needed, and using the online service when you travel. Keep the passport or identity card linked to the account up to date, or border checks can fail; the separate EUSS travel permit is withdrawn from 8 October 2026, so passport details are updated online from abroad instead.

Citizenship

Settled status counts as settlement for naturalisation. The usual rules then apply: twelve months with settled status and five years’ residence, or three years’ residence with no twelve-month wait for spouses and civil partners of British citizens, plus the absence limits, English at B1, the Life in the UK test and good character. Whether your own country allows you to keep its nationality alongside British citizenship is a separate question; see the citizenship guide and the ILR vs citizenship comparison.

Common problems

Applying late without explaining the delay. A late application must set out the reasonable grounds; without them it is normally rejected as invalid.

Assuming pre-settled status will simply become settled status. Automatic conversion depends on what Home Office records show. If your residence is not visible in those records — for example because you were self-employed or not working — apply for settled status yourself with your own evidence, on either the five-year basis or the 30-months-in-60 test.

Long absences during pre-settled status. More than six months away in any twelve-month period breaks continuous residence unless an exception applies, and can leave you unable to qualify for settled status even though your pre-settled status remains valid.

Family permits for relationships formed after 2020. A spouse married after 31 December 2020 is generally not a joining family member under the scheme and would use the partner visa instead.