Your rights and additional help

The UK has now left the EU and will be negotiating until 31 December 2020 to agree the new rules of how we work together. Your rights will stay the same until 31 December 2020 - there are no immediate changes.

However, if you’re a citizen of the EU, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland or Liechtenstein you need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to keep living, working, studying, getting benefits and using NHS services in the UK after 31 December 2020. It’s free to apply.

Your family members should apply too, if they’re not British or Irish citizens. Family members can have any nationality – they just need to be the family member of someone who is a citizen of the EU, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland or Liechtenstein.

It’s worth applying for the EU Settlement Scheme as soon as possible - it can take time for your application to be processed.

You’ll need to apply even if:

• you’ve been living in the UK for a while - it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been here, you’ll still need to apply

• you already have a right to reside in the UK and a document proving this, for example a permanent residence document

• you were born in the UK but are not a British citizen - sometimes being born here doesn’t mean you automatically have citizenship

After 31 December 2020, you might be asked to prove your right to do things like get a job or use a service like the NHS. Having your EU Settled Status sorted will make this more straightforward.

To get Settled Status, you need evidence to show how long you’ve lived in the UK. If you can show that you have lived in the UK for at least 5 years in a row, you should qualify for full Settled Status. If you have lived here for a shorter time, you should be given Pre-Settled Status instead, which will still give you the right to continue living in the UK after 31 December 2020.

In order to apply, you’ll need a passport or national ID card, a digital photo (a selfie), your National Insurance number or proof of how long you’ve lived in the UK, a mobile number and an email address. There is also lots of guidance on the gov.uk website, including translations in the EU languages.

If you have a child who needs to apply for EU Settled Status, it may be easier to make your own application first, so you can ‘link’ your child’s application to yours. You can do this at any time after you’ve applied - you don’t need to wait for a decision. And if your own application is successful, your child will get the same status as you.

If you need any extra help with your application, please get in touch.

Citizens Advice Bracknell