United Kingdom | Settled status automation

The Home Office announced a new process to automatically convert eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status without the need for them to make a further EUSS application.

Key Points:

• The update concerns the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), which allows eligible EU and other European Economic Area and Swiss citizens residing in the U.K. who were living in the U.K. before Jan. 1, 2021, the chance to safeguard their residence status.
• The scheme opened to the public on March 30, 2019, and the deadline for most people to apply to the EUSS was June 30, 2021.
• Eligible applicants may still be able to apply if they have a later deadline to do so or they have “reasonable grounds” for their delay in applying.
• The latest update states the government is beginning the process of automatically converting eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status without the need for them to make a further EUSS application under certain conditions.

Additional Information: The rollout will be phased, and later in 2025, the Home Office will expand the process to enable more eligible pre-settled status holders. As part of the new process, the Home Office will undertake automated checks of pre-settled status holders whose status expiration is approaching against government-held information to ensure their eligibility. Individuals will be informed via email if their case may soon be considered for conversion, and pre-settled status holders will not need to take any action. The government will inform individuals if they are unable to convert them to settled status. The first grants of settled status are expected to occur in late January 2025.

Background: More than three years have passed since the original EUSS deadline, and the government continues to make changes to the scheme. According to the latest published statistics, an estimated 5.7 million people had obtained status under the EUSS as of Sept. 30, 2024. The government stated that more than 540,000 vulnerable people have been supported to apply to the scheme through a network of grant-funded organizations across the U.K.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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