May 21, 2024 – 6:13 pm
The British government will make it easier for EU citizens living in Great Britain based on their pre-settled status to obtain permanent residency rights: they will have five years to do so instead of the previously planned two, MTI reports. It also eases inspection obligations on UK employers and accommodation providers for EU citizens.
Britain left the European Union on 31 January 2020, but EU citizens who were legally and ordinarily settled in Britain by the end of 2020 can remain in the country, retaining all the rights they had acquired. However, for this, they must apply for a residence permit for an indefinite period of time – officially known as settled status in the EU. Those who have lived in Great Britain for at least five years receive full settled status, and those who have lived for less than that receive pre-settled status.
Based on the plans put forward so far, EU citizens would have two years to obtain permanent settled status after spending five years in temporary settled status. The essence of the now accepted mitigation is that it will be changed to five years. Therefore, for those who, for some reason, have not applied for a permanent residence permit after the expiration of the five-year temporary status, the grace period for this will be extended to five years instead of two years.
Another benefit is that employers, landlords and estate agencies do not have to re-verify the right to work and rent in Great Britain for EU citizens who work for them or live on their property as a condition for finalizing pre-settled status.
According to information provided by the British Home Office on Tuesday, 5.7 million EU citizens have the right to settle at the end of 2023, of which two million live in Great Britain on the basis of their previously settled status.
