EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens who have settled on the UK territory the assurance of Pre-Settled and Settled Status is a priority when the immigration regulations are ever in a state of change. The EU settlement scheme has been put in place to ease the process for British people who would like to become legal residents despite the relaxation of the rules regarding permanent settlement in the UK, all applicants had a deadline of June 30, 2021, but there is still a way for those who have valid reasons for late applications, are upgrading their immigrants status or are family members of existing UK residents. From this complete guide, you will unpack the key steps and eligibility criteria for your pre-settled or settled status application.
Getting Started
Before the thing that is known as the United Kingdom is a home, you should ensure you have all the required legal documents as the facts needed to stay there legally. Here’s what you’ll need:
1. Identity Document
You will need your ID document; which can be your passport, identity national card, biometric residence card, or registered permit as well.
2. Digital Photo
To finish the application, an electronic image of you should be submitted. It is very convenient and easy during the registration process to end it all by taking a selfie.
3. National Insurance Number or Proof of Residence
You`ll also be required to give your National Insurance number or to present proof of having lived in the UK for a certain amount of time. Can I apply for a National Insurance number as a statement of interest, please?
4. Mobile Phone Number
To be in contact with you and give you important notifications and information about the application, give out your active mobile phone number.
5. Email Address
Make sure you provide a genuine email preferably for quicker response and each stage of application.
6. Proof of Relationship (if applicable)
For a child application, you will provide evidence to demonstrate your relationship with the child as well as another family member who you are filing under an independent application.
Choosing Your Identity Document
The issue of your identity document can greatly impact your application process depending on how difficult or smooth it is to get it. Here’s what you need to know based on your nationality:
As for the EU, the EAA, or the Swiss nationals.
You may either be using your nationality passport or your ID card (nationality identification document). It is proposed that an identity document with this symbol be designated, plus a biometric chip, This option will make the application process paperless since it is possible to pass it in a digital format instead of sending it to the Home Office physically, thus, this will save time.
For Non-EU, EEA, or Swiss Citizens
Make sure that you are carrying around your biometric residence card which is clearly labeled on top as ‘Residence Card’. On the other side, it should be unmistakable what by ‘EU Right to Reside’ implies. With this card, you just need to scan it during the download and get rid of mailing passports while admitting your identity.
However (yet on the other hand), if you do not have a biometric residence card you can make use of your identity card or a residence permit with a biometric feature. Here, you will have to present the Home Office with pieces of evidence that support your relationship with your EU, EEA, or Swiss family member who is already in the UK.
Proving Your UK Residence
To become a holder of Pre-Settled and Settled Status you do not only need to show how much time have you spent living in the UK. The simple way out is to give your National Insurance number when submitting an application Form. Also, the other factor is that if you didn’t work or lived outside the UK during certain months, you may need to give some other papers which will prove the gap in your National Insurance record for the given period.
As an example, you are not required to demonstrate any residence duration or period if you have a permanent residence document, indefinite leave to remain, or indefinite leave to enter.
Finding Your National Insurance Number
It is your National Insurance number that makes a direct impact on your application. If you are unsure about where to find it, you can:
- See if your payslip contains any letters or information from those agencies.
- Talk with the National Insurance helpline call center connected to the insurance website in case you cannot find the policy number.
Determining Required Evidence
The evidence you need depends on your specific circumstances:
Last minute applying for Presettled Status
However, if you are making a case for pre-settled status after the deadline, it is enough to prove that you were present in the UK before the 31st of December 2020 and you have still not been out of the UK for a period longer than 6 months since that time.
Applying for Settled Status
After the long wait, you have to provide proof for six months in ten months, and you need to do it for five years continuously. These 5 years don’t need to be the most current ones, after all, you can choose a different five-year period if it was within the five years before your application and you hadn’t spent more than 5 years outside the UK for a single consecutive period since then.
There are exceptions to the continuous residence requirement for individuals who were:
The list includes childbirth, being seriously ill, studying away from home, attending training courses, and being sent to work abroad by an employer for a period not exceeding 12 months. All children between 3 and 16 years old should be allowed to complete their studies without any concerns about their living arrangements.
On compulsory military service.
Having making or not making military service in the UK armed forces or having someone like a family member in the military.
The job with the UK, Scottish, or Welsh governments, the Northern Irish government, the British Council, or a relative who works in any of these bodies.
Accepted Documents
Each scholar’s name written along with a date is mandatory in all documents. Extended coverage results in better chances to be accepted into college so submit documents that go over the long period. Upload up to 10 documents as you apply, and we will only be in touch if we require more.
Document Requirements for Gaps in Employment
For example, if you’ve had a gap in employment, it is critical to provide such documents that prove your origination in the UK during those periods. Consider using documents such as:
- Council tax bills.
- Paperwork for your home or apartment mortgage statements.
- Leases and statements (e.g., bank account statements or receipts) as the proofs of payment.
- The yearly summary reports tracking all bank transactions or account activity.
- Payslips.
- Nursing home residents may also face unexpected costs such as bills for utilities like water, gas, or electricity.
- Many other everyday expenses with an evidence letter of payment (for example, for repairs, home insurance, or pet care).
Self-Employed or Business Owners
If you’re self-employed or run a business and lack a full tax and benefits record, consider using the following evidence:
- Annual business accounts.
- Council tax bills.
- The credit statements that you get for your home loan.
- Evidence of some type of lease, such as payment records (like statements showing in the bank or receipts).
- Annual bank statements or account summaries increase the accuracy of the intended results.
- Invoices for work finished in the UK, as well as evidence of payments (for example bank statements for instance).
Bills in Someone Else’s Name
If your household bills are not in your name, and the Exchequer department fails to have your complete tax and benefits records, you can still use other types of documentation. Consider using:
- Writings from doctors such as note cards or appointment schedules.
- Statements for pricing every year or using the provided account statements.
- A monthly bank statement with the receipt or spending of payments or spending in the UK.
- You should either carry a used airline, train, or ferry ticket; or a waterway vessel ticket providing the date you came into the UK.
- Visible evidence appearing on your passport, showing that you arrived in the UK.
- Mobile phone bills on your behalf, listing your dormitory room at the UK anchor.
- Show other household bills, for instance for repairs, insurance, or pet care, without paying.
Living in Unique Circumstances
Individuals residing in unique situations should consider the following guidelines:
Living in a Care Home
If you reside in a care home, provide evidence such as:
- Use a letter from your care home written about you to show your current residence.
- A statement from the bank once in a year, or a summary account.
- Pension statements.
- Accounting bank statements as receipts or payments for the UK or transactions every month.
- It can be in the form of letters or appointments from health professionals.
Living in a Shared House
For those living in shared houses, acceptable evidence includes:
- Providing case your mobile operator bills with UK address.
- Notes or appointment cards by healthcare specialists.
- Annually, banks like mine issue statements or summations of your account.
- The bank statement obtained regularly (banks send statements every month) shows money earned in the UK or spent in a given country.
- Used return ticket for an airline, train, or ship, or otherwise, entering the UK on a specified date of travel.
- A mark in your passport showing that you have entered the UK – the door is open.
- For the second time, it could be difficult to get evidence in case you need help, so contact Citizens Advice in your area to consult an adviser.
Proving Different 5-Year Periods
If you are called for support to legally establish proof of residence in the UK, for a time interval longer than the most recently used period, then you should emphasize documents that cover a longer time frame. Accepted evidence includes:
- For instance, personal tax documents like P60 or P45 are among the crucial documents when it comes to immigration.
- An email from your employer with a subject line or letterhead saying that they employ you.
- Paystones indicating the pension testimony from your employer.
- Council tax bills.
- Documents verifying your mortgage for your house or flat.
- Along with this would be Tenancy agreements as well as the bank statements (e.g., bank statements or receipts).
- On a monthly or yearly basis credit card or bank statements and account summaries, respectively.
- Demonstrating Arrival by December 31, 2020
- To prove that you arrived in the UK by December 31, 2020, acceptable evidence includes:
- British entry dating or entry proof along with any of your transport tickets i.e. used airline, train, ferry, or ship tickets.
- A stamp on the UK passport expands your horizons and starts the travel adventure.
- Every month I was in the UK Bank statements were sent to me showing the money transferred to the UK.
- A mobile phone bill with your name on it and a stated address in the UK.
- Housing, water, gas or electricity charges.
- Missing your social community, e.g. letters or appointment cards from healthcare professionals.
Permanent Residence Document and Indefinite Leave to Remain
If you possess a permanent residence document or ‘indefinite leave to remain,’ specific requirements apply:
Permanent Residence Document
So, when you apply you will have to enter your permanent residence document number. However, luckily you do not have to follow a procedure of typing in your National Insurance number or presenting your documents to prove that you have lived in the UK for enough years.
Indefinite Leave to Remain
Not applying for the EU Settlement Scheme is recommended only if you do have ‘indefinite leave to remain’ as it won’t impact your right to stay in the UK after Brexit. Nevertheless, if you opt into the process fully, you will have to provide the date of your indefinite stay in the function of disposition. Usually, it is the Home Office that writes to you such a letter that has a date on it or it is your passport that gets a stamp.
Criminal Records and Pending Trials
The scheme’s applicants aged 18 years old or over are expected to answer positively to an array of questions about any crimes they’ve been convicted of in the UK or in other countries where police or security agencies have kept the alleged record as a criminal. As with all the other cases, the way you are happy to do the crimes but are waiting for them to get to the trial court must be dealt with.
What Counts as a Crime in the UK
The UK has a convict system where a person ends up with a criminal record, should he or she be convicted of a crime in either a magistrates’ court or a crown court in England and Wales. A verdict in Scotland rests with either a justice of the peace court, a sheriff court, or a high court.
Notably, you do not need to disclose the following:
- The cases that dealt with matters that were not criminal, for example, civil disputes, debates on the debts, or the family justice court proceedings.
- Parking charges or local council fines for general traffic law infringement (familiarly known as ‘parking infringements’).
- The driving infractions that previously didn’t bring a sending a summons from a court.
- To give warnings or cautions someone can be, it is rural in a police station.
Ultimately, obtaining one of the two statuses within the EU Settlement Scheme: Pre-Settled and Settled Status is a big deal that gives you a peace of mind visa only. Events opportunities have been provided to the students to acquire the essential documents, to prove their UK residency, and to indicate their previous crime-related issues so that they can ably process the application with confidence. Although long, burdensome, and oftentimes confusing, the best technique to increase your chances of getting approved is to make sure that you provide all the necessary information that will show why you make an eligible candidate.
How Law and Visas Can Help?
At Law and Visas, our team of expert immigration consultants is here to make your travel to the UK straightforward and successful. Whether you’re applying for a Visitor Visa or a Study Visa, we handle every step from preparing your application to gathering the required documents.
Our immigration Consultants and Lawyers ensure that your application meets the highest standards, with no details missed. We’ll also keep you informed throughout the process and coordinate with the immigration office or embassy on your behalf.
Law and Visas has a strong record of helping clients secure the visas/permits they need in the UK. Call us today at +234 812 5505 986 to learn how we can assist you.
