Great Britain left the European Union on January 31, 2020. However, EU nationals who have settled lawfully and habitually in Great Britain until the end of 2020, the 11-month transitional period that began after the end of British EU membership (Brexit), can continue to retain all their acquired rights, But for this, they need to apply for a residence permit for an indefinite period – with the official legal name EU Settled Status.
The same applies to citizens of the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA) which includes Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, as well as Switzerland residing in Great Britain.
Depending on the time spent living in Great Britain, beneficiaries are granted full (settled) or previously settled (pre-settled) status.
The latter may be obtained by those who, at the time of application, have not yet completed five years of legal and habitual residence in Great Britain. Depending on the current regulations, they can also wait until the end of the five years and then apply for a permanent residence permit. In the period that has passed until then, they are also entitled to fully enjoy their acquired rights.
However, based on the amendment proposal put forward by the UK Home Office on Monday, the obligation to apply again will soon cease in their case as well. At the beginning of the year, the High Court in London announced that EU citizens with a previously settled status must apply to the British authorities again for a permanent settlement permit in contrast to the Brexit agreement.
According to the advocacy organizations that brought the suit, this commitment runs the risk that those who fail to reapply for any reason—for example, simply forget— At any moment they could be classified as illegal immigrants and deported by the British government.
To prevent this – in accordance with the order of the London High Court – the British Home Office announced on Monday that following the amendment of the law The time available for obtaining full and permanent settlement status is extended by two years without the obligation to take any special measures For those who did not personally apply for a permanent residence permit until after their initial stable status ended – ie after five years.
The process is automatic, the Ministry notifies the affected parties directly of the extension.
This ensures that no one loses their predetermined status in the UK Not even if you fail to apply for permanent residence – the Home Office said in its statement on Monday.
According to the information The Department is also taking steps to ensure that, in as many cases as possible, the reclassification of temporary settled status into a permanent settlement permit becomes automatic. For those who are entitled to it, i.e. the obligation to apply again ceases.
According to the latest summary of the ministry By the end of the first quarter of this year, 7.22 million settlement requests had been received to the British authorities by EU nationals.
At the top of the list were Romanian citizens with 1.48 million applications. 174,910 Hungarians living in Great Britain had applied for settled status by the end of March From the UK Home Office.
Cover image illustration, Source: Getty Images
