EU Citizens in the UK after Brexit

The closer the United Kingdom (UK) gets to leaving the European Union, the more EU citizens who are now living in the United Kingdom become concerned about their ability to continue living there once Brexit takes effect.

UK After Brexit

Even after the United Kingdom has severed its ties with the European Union, EU citizens who wish to continue residing in the United Kingdom without interruption will be required to get either a pre-settled or settled status. You are required to submit an application through the EU Settlement Scheme between March 2019 and June 30, 2021 in order to get any of these residence statuses in the United Kingdom.

There are still some exceptional circumstances in which you, as an EU citizen, may be able to continue living in the UK after Brexit even if you do not have pre-settled or established status. If you are a citizen of Ireland or an EU national who possesses either Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or Indefinite Leave to Enter, you are eligible for this opportunity (ILE).

What is the difference between a Pre-settled status and a Settled status?

Both pre-settled and settled status allow EU nationals and their family members, including non-EU family members, to continue living in the UK even after Brexit takes place.

Only through the online verification tool can these statuses of EU residents living in the UK be confirmed. You must be applying from a country other than the one in which you now reside and you must not have a biometric residence card in order to be eligible for a pre-settled or settled status in a physical document.

What Does This Imply for EU Nationals Currently Residing in the United Kingdom?

As of the 31st of December in 2020, it will be against the law for you to continue living in the UK as an EU citizen if you do not have a pre-settled or settled status. This law applies to spouses of EU citizens who are British citizens as well.

Even though the deadline has passed, you are still able to submit an application under the same program if you are a family member of an EU citizen who has established or is in the process of settling in the UK and are an EU citizen yourself.

Even if you are a citizen of the EU and have the right to live permanently in the UK, you are still required to apply for the status of a settled person after the deadline of December 31, 2020. You, on the other hand, will not be required to provide evidence of the continuous duration spent in the UK, nor will you be required to pay the appropriate application cost.

You have the option of changing your status to that of a settled person if you are an EU citizen living in the UK and you have an ILR, but you are not obligated to do so. If you have an ILR, you are able to remain in the UK for an extended period of time.

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How Does One Obtain Eligibility for Settled or Pre-settled Status?

If you are a citizen of the EU or a member of an EU citizen's family, you may be eligible to receive established status in the UK; however, this will only be possible if you have resided there for five consecutive years or if you will begin living there as of the 31st of December 2020.

If you have lived in the UK for fewer than five years in a row, the only status you are eligible for is pre-settled, and you won't be able to apply for established citizenship until you have resided there for five years in a row without interruption.

If you spend more than six full months outside of the UK in a given year, your time spent outside of the UK will not be counted toward the continuous duration of time that you have spent in the UK when that time is computed. If you have left the United Kingdom for a significant reason, such as to attend school, the birth of a child, professional training, serious illness, the death of a loved one, or something similar, stays of up to one year are counted as exceptional. If you have left the UK in order to perform a mandatory military service, any amount of time spent outside of the country will be counted against you.

Citizens of the European Union who have already settled in the United Kingdom and their rights

Even after the United Kingdom has left the European Union officially, EU citizens who have either pre-settled or settled status in the United Kingdom will continue to have their rights protected under British law.

Settled

You are able to do the following once you have settled or pre-settled status:

• Bring along members of your family.
• Get a job.
• Benefit from government programs and pensions.
• You are free to leave the UK and come back here as many times as you require.
• Participate in the National Health Service's healthcare programs.
• Join a school or continue your education.
• After living in the United Kingdom continuously for five years, one is eligible to apply for citizenship.
• Additionally, if you are awarded settled status in the United Kingdom, the citizenship of the United Kingdom will be granted to any of your children who are born there while you retain that status.

Pre-settled

You have the ability to exercise the same rights as settled persons while you are a pre-settled person, notwithstanding the fact that you are not yet settled.

If you have a pre-settled status, you are eligible to remain in the UK for up to five years after you have completed your pre-settlement period. After having spent this amount of time in the UK legally, you will be eligible to apply for established citizenship.

Your children who are born while you have a pre-settled status will automatically be granted British citizenship if their second parent is either a British citizen or a settled citizen, or if that parent has a valid ILR or ILE, or if that parent has a right to reside in the United Kingdom.

Who Can Settle in the United Kingdom in Less Than Five Consecutive Years of Residence?

If you want to be able to settle in the United Kingdom after being there for fewer than five consecutive years, you need to qualify under one of the following categories:

• Sudden permanent disability. You must have previous work experience, either as an employee or as a self-employed individual.
• An accident or sickness must have been the initial cause of the lifelong handicap.
• You must have spent the most recent two years of your life in the United Kingdom. If this is not the case, you will be required to be the spouse or civil partner of a British citizen.
• You are a member of the same EU citizen's immediate family.

Taking early retirement or reaching the age for receiving a state pension.

• You must have been working nonstop all these time. In any other case, you must have been alive for a continuous period of three years. In the year immediately preceding retirement, you were required to work for yourself.
• You are either married to or in a civil partnership with a citizen of the United Kingdom.
• You are a member of the family of a citizen of the EU.
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Job or self-employment opportunities in another member state of the EU.

• Before applying for this position, you must have spent at least three consecutive years living, working, or operating a business in the United Kingdom.
• You do not consider the United Kingdom to be your permanent home because you visit at least once each week.
• You are a member of the family of a citizen of the EU.

The passing of a family member who was an EU citizen.

• Your family member from the EU had to be working or running their own business up until the moment they passed away.
• You had to have been living with the deceased member of your EU family at the time of their passing.
• Before they passed away, your EU family member needed to have been a resident of this country for at least two years.
• The decedent in your EU family must have perished as a result of an accident or sickness that occurred on the job.

Do All Members of My Family Receive the Same Status?

If they meet the requirements, members of your family who are not citizens of an EU country can apply for and receive the same status as you.

The following members of your family who are not citizens of an EU country are eligible to apply for the same immigration status as you in the UK:

• Your spouse/civil partner.
• Your companion in a relationship that will last for a very long time. This is not a marriage or a partnership that can be considered civil.
• Your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, as well as those of your husband or civil partner, are referred to here. They can't be older than 21 years old.
• Children who are financially dependent on you, your spouse, or your civil partner. They can be of any age, provided that they do not possess the capacity to act independently.
• Dependent parent/grandparent/great-grandparent of yours/your spouse or civil partner. They can be of any age, provided that they do not possess the capacity to act independently.
• Other member of your family who is dependent on you, your spouse, or your civil partner. Only in the case when they already possess a UK residency card that is based on your relationship with them.

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Members of the Family Who Live in Other Countries

Those members of your family who have been living outside of the UK up until the 31st of December 2020 have the opportunity to move in with you after this date and obtain the same status as you do in the UK, provided that they are eligible to do so.

The following is a summary of the conditions that must be met in order for family members who are currently living outside of the UK to be able to move in with you after Brexit and share the same pre-settled or settled status as you in the UK:

• They have to be your spouse or civil partner, a partner in a relationship that has lasted a long time, a child or grandchild, or a parent or grandparent who is reliant on them.
• They must have been a member of your family prior to the 31st of December in the year 2020.
• Even after moving to the UK, they are required to maintain their status as a part of your family.

Status Settled for EU Citizens Who Are Under 21 Years Old

If you are a citizen of the European Union and are younger than 21 years old and live in the United Kingdom, you may be eligible to earn either the pre-settled or settled status in the United Kingdom. You are required to have a parent or your parent's spouse or parent's civil partner who is a citizen of the EU.

In this scenario, the application must be physically carried by either you, your parent, your grandparent, or your legal guardian.

Prerequisites for Obtaining Settled and Pre-Settled Status in the United States

You are required to use an online application form in order to submit your request for settled or pre-settled status. It is recommended that you submit your application for settled status on or after June 30, 2021, if you will have completed five years of continuous residence in the United Kingdom before that date. You are required to submit an application for pre-settled status first if the total number of years you have spent living in the UK continuously is less than five years prior to the date in question.

If you are a member of the family of a citizen of the EU, you are strongly encouraged to submit your application for pre-settled or settled status together with your EU family member so that a decision can be reached more quickly.

The scanned versions of any supporting evidence for your application can be submitted through the online form. Nevertheless, you also have the option of sending them in a tangible manner through the use of the post office.

When applying for either pre-settled or established status in the United Kingdom, you are required to supply the following documents:

• Evidence of your identity and nationality, such as birth certificates and passports.
• Your current passport or official national identification card.
• Your legitimate passport or Biometric Residence Card, if you have one. (If you are a family member living outside of the EU who is related to an EU citizen.)
• Please share one of your more recent digital photographs.
• Documentation demonstrating that you have continuously resided in the UK. They are required to display the activities that you have participated in during your continuous stay in the United Kingdom for the past five years.
• The costs of utilities
• Letters of formality that are delivered by mail.

Do you have any proof that you work for yourself?

• Registration with HM Revenue and Customs for the purposes of self-assessment (HMRC).
• Documents pertaining to an organization. demonstrating both income and expenses in preparation for filing taxes
• P60s by adding taxable income and contributions to national insurance.
• Income tax documents.
• National insurance documents.
• Documentation proving that you are registered for VAT as a sole proprietor.
• VAT registration certificate.
• Returns for value-added tax (VAT) that include the VAT registration number. accompanied by a hard copy and presented in the form of a printout.
• Records pertaining to the conduct of one's own business.
• The documentation of an ongoing commercial operation.
• The written evidence of one's participation in a business partnership.
• Papers attesting to one's participation in a business that has relatively little going on.
• Records pertaining to a franchise.

Evidence that you are currently employed.

• The P60 for the most recent five years. (Or, the documents that are listed below).
• There are three pay stubs for each year. They could occur once a week or once a month.

Employer's letter. Verification of the lengths of time the EEA national was employed and their yearly income. (If you are unable to send any of the documents listed above, please send the ones that are listed below.)

• Letter indicating acceptance of the resignation.
• Employment tribunal rulings.
• Formal employment agreement.
• The letter of resignation from your work is enclosed.
• A P45 is a document that a worker receives when they leave their job.

Evidence of your ability to fend for yourself.

• The fruits of your academic labor.
• Certificate of enrollment in studies and/or formal letter from an education provider that has been granted accreditation. It needs to show how long your studies will take, what you'll be studying, and what kind of qualification you'll earn when you finish.
• Bank statements from each year of study together with certificates proving scholarship award eligibility are required.
• They are required to provide evidence that they have paid student fees or have had study costs covered by a scholarship.
• Invoices prepared and sent by the relevant educational service provider.

The tangible results of your trips.

• Your passport will be stamped upon entrance to the United Kingdom.
• Your travel tickets to the United Kingdom, be they by plane or train.
• Documentation demonstrating your connection to the EU national currently residing in the UK. (If you are a family member living outside of the EU who is related to an EU citizen.)
• Copy of the birth or adoption certificate.
• A marriage or civil partnership license or certificate.
• Your EU family member's passport or national ID card, if they are currently residing in the UK.
• Documentation demonstrating that a family member from another EU country now resides in the UK
• Information pertaining to biometrics. (If you do not already own a resident card that contains your biometric information). At the application facility in the UK, you will need to provide a photograph of yourself as well as your fingerprints.

Previous record of criminal activity (On the condition that you are older than 18). The information and evidence that you give will be reviewed by the appropriate authorities utilizing the crime databases that are available in the UK. Involvement in misdemeanors or other similar offenses is not likely to have an effect on your application. Your personal circumstances will be taken into consideration when determining whether or not you are eligible if you have been involved in severe criminal acts. If you have ever been incarcerated, you may be eligible for this program; nevertheless, you will be required to spend five consecutive years of lawful residence in the United Kingdom after the date on which you were released from jail.

Court order for adoption or another adoption document that is similarly recognized (If you are the parent of a child who was adopted)

Documents Supplemental to These

Additional documentation to include with your application for established status if you have been in the country for less than five years in a row continuously:

• Sudden permanent disability.
• Confirmation of a permanent impairment in the form of a letter given by a medical practitioner or medical consultant.
• A letter that is issued by a medical doctor or medical consultant declaring that the reasons of disability are related to the work that was performed by the employee in question.
• Evidence of your job or self-employment in the year immediately preceding your incapacity.

Taking early retirement or reaching the age for receiving a state pension.

Formal notification of retirement, including all pertinent particulars. Should come directly from the place of employment.

In addition to bank statements, a letter from the pension provider authorities is required. to verify that the pension payment was successfully received.

Evidence of your employment or self-employment, if applicable.

Job or self-employment opportunities in another member state of the EU.

• Documentation demonstrating employment in another EU state.
• Employment agreement with a company based in another member state of the EU.
• Statements from the bank that show the salary was received.
• Contribution that was bought.

• Documentation proving that the EU family member in question resides in another EU nation.
• Rental contracts.
• The costs of utilities
• Letters of formality that are delivered by mail.

The passing of a family member who was an EU citizen.

• A copy of the death certificate.
• Evidence that your EU family member was working or running their own business before they passed away.
• Evidence that they had been living together up until the time of their deaths.
• Documentation demonstrating that the family member had been living in the UK or another EU country immediately prior to their passing.
• A letter that is issued by a medical doctor or medical consultant declaring that the reasons of disability are related to the work that was performed by the employee in question.

What are the Fees Involved in Making an Application for the EU Settlement Program?

It is anticipated that EU citizens will not be required to pay a fee in order to settle in the UK after BREXIT takes effect. 

Covid 19 Tips

Many nations still have entry restrictions and closed borders. If you need assistance planning your travels, please visit the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Centre website. Before leaving for the airport, you are encouraged to check with your airline or travel agency to make sure that your flight routes are still operating because the measures implemented could cause flight cancellations and a decrease in flight frequency.

For further travel details regarding the locations, you can also consult the MFA Travel Information pages.

Information for Incoming and Outgoing Travellers

• Under the Vaccinated Travel Framework (VTF), all countries/regions will be classified under the General Travel or Restricted Category and accord border measures by individual traveller’s vaccination status. Currently, all countries/regions come under the General Travel Category. There are no countries/regions in the Restricted Category at the moment.

• Advisory for Singaporean students studying overseas can be found on the MOE website and the Travel Advisory on the MOH website. Common concerns pertaining to the advisory have been addressed here. FAQs on the MOH website (under Border Measures) also provide information for students on overseas studies.

• Updates on Singapore’s border control measures in response to COVID-19 can be found on the ICA website. Information on the SG Arrival Card with Electronic Health Declaration can be found here.

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