EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) information

The EU Settlement Scheme is an immigration route that allows eligible EU/EEA/Swiss citizen and their family members to live, work and study in the UK after BREXIT.

In order to be eligible for the EUSS applicants must have been in the UK before 31st December 2020, apply for the scheme by the 30th June 2021 and be a citizen of one of the following countries:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Republic of Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland*
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Iceland
• Liechtenstein
• Norway
• Switzerland
*You will not need to apply if you’re an Irish citizen but your family members from outside the UK and Ireland will.

Those granted leave under the EUSS are eligible for:
• public services, such as healthcare and schools
• public funds and pensions
• British citizenship, if you meet the requirements and want to apply

The EUSS application is free and is usually made online. This means it can be applied for both in the UK and oversea (an overseas application usually depends on you evidencing that you have been present in the UK within the last 6 months).

Once your application for the EUSS is approved, you will be granted either settled or pre settled status.

You should also also get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) as having that document may assist you in quickly accessing medical care, could help with future eligibility under some immigration routes (e.g. Citizenship).

As an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen, if you make a successful application under the Settlement Scheme, you will be granted one of two immigration statuses dependant on how long you have already been living in the UK.

If you have been resident in the UK for more than five continuous years you will be eligible for settled status. If you receive settled status this means there is no time limit on how long you can stay in the UK. Though you need to make sure that, if you are leaving the UK for long periods of time, you need to check you how long you can be resident outside the UK without losing this settled status. It should state this on the communication you receive from the Home Office with your original decision.

On 15th December 2020, the UKVI confirmed that absences of up to 12 months due directly to COVID will not affect the 5 year residency required for an application for settled status. Please see information regading this on the UKCISA website.

If you have been a resident for less than five years you will be eligible for pre-settled status. If you receive pre-settled status this means you can stay in the UK for a period of five years. Provided you have lived continuously in the UK for five years, with only permissible absences, you can then apply for settled status- there is currently no timeframe within which you must apply but it is worth applying as soon as you become eligible (i.e as soon as you reach 5 years continuous residency).

You will lose your pre-settled status is you are outside the UK for more than 2 years.

How you can evidence continuous residency is outlined In Annex A of the Home Office Statement of Intent regarding the EU Settlement Scheme.

An application for settled and pre-settled status is made via the same application route and you do not need to select an option. You will automatically be granted the status to which you are assessed as entitled.

The application is relatively quick, easy and it is free.

Where it might become more complicated is if you do not have a passport or National Identity Card with a biometric chip. If you do not have this, we recommend you email international@campuslife for assistance- we are expecting very few students to be in this position.

To apply for the EUSS you need to fill in a short online application form using a computer, tablet or mobile phone. You will also need to download an app from the App or Play Store and it is called the EU exit ID document check app. If you cannot download the app (and do not have a friend's phone you can borrow) please email international@campuslife so they can support you.

The EUSS application will ask for basic factual information like your name, address and reference numbers such as your passport, national identity card or UK National Insurance (NI) number (a UK NI number is not compulsory). You will also need to attach your evidence of UK residency. For Swansea University students, you can access an Student Statement from your GradIntelligence account (details in the Application overview below).

If you have been living in the UK prior to the start of your course, you will also need to attach evidence of this and details of acceptable documents is outlined in Annex A of the Home Office Statement of Intent regarding the EU Settlement Scheme.

If you have come to the UK to study a January start course but were in the UK before the 31st December 2020 EUSS eligibility deadline, you could use your flight tickets and boarding card to evidence this- alongside any hotel bookings or accommodation contract you might have.

We have created both a step by step Guide to the EU Settlement Scheme Application and a Guide to Completing the EU Settlement Scheme Application webinar which take you through the application and have useful hints and tips for dealing with the online application form. Please make sure you are using these resources to help you.

If you are making your application from overseas, please see the additional information regarding this on the Gov.UK website.

Basic application overview

1. Open the app and verify your identity and nationality by scanning your passport, EU national identity card or biometric residence card (if you are a non-EU citizen). You will also have to take a photograph of yourself and the details/photo page of your passport or ID card.

If you are unable to scan your passport or ID Card yourself (as it does not have a biometric chip) you can visit one of the ID Document Scanner locations in the UK. The closest one to the University being at Caerphilly. Alternatively, you can send relevant documentation by post. If you are trying to apply from overseas and do not have the relevant ID with a biometric chip, you may have difficulties with your application (see the link to the Gov.UK website regarding this). 

2. Complete a short application form. This will ask your details about you, where you live etc. and to provide your National Insurance Number if you have one (this is not compulsory).

3. Complete the criminality check by declaring any criminal convictions. Only serious or persistent criminality will affect your application.

4. Upload your evidence of residency. If you are using your status as a Swansea University student ito prove your residency, there are a couple of documents that you can use and upload to your application. You only need one of these per time period you are evidencing:

• Student Statement - available to download yourself from your GradIntelligence account  OR from MyUniHub emailing them or
• Student Finance Award notification or repayment statement- available from your Student Finance Wales online account (check it has your address on it)

If you have been in the UK longer than for your Swansea University course, you will need to provide evidence of this. Further information about how you can evidence this continuous residency is outlined In Annex A of the Home Office Statement of Intent regarding the EU Settlement Scheme.

Please note: If you change your email; phone number; address; name or identity document (e.g. passport) while your application is in process, you will need to report. You will have a link to this form emailed as part of your application submission confirmation.

What happens next

Successful applicants will get digital proof of their status via an email. You will not get a physical document unless you are from outside the EU/EEA/Swiss regions and do not already have a biometric residence card.

Proving your status after it is granted

You will not receive physical evidence (a vignette or visa card) to prove that you have been granted EUSS pre-settled or settled status. It is currently not possible to get physical proof and the government recently voted not to provide this.

You will receive an email to state the Home Office decision on your application and you should read this carefully and then save it somewhere secure.

Post decision, you will continue to be able to get into your personal account on the Home Office system (detailed in your decision email) by inputting your personal details (including your passport number). Once in your account you can generate a verification code. This code can be shared with employers, the University or anyone else who needs to check your right to work/study or reside in the UK. The code only lasts 30 days but you can generate as many as necessary. This code can then be entered into the Home Office system by a 3rd party in order to verify your immigration status.

When might I need to provide my status code?

You may be asked to prove your status in the UK in the following situations:

• Enrolling on a course of study
• Accessing the National Health Service (we also recommend that you always get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) )
• Applying for a job
• Renting accommodation
• Applying for a bank account or mortgage

If you are applying for a job, it might be worth mentioning that you have been granted permission to live/work/study in the UK under the European Settlement Scheme, and can provide an evidence code, within your application. This may help to reassure employers that you have the ongoing right to work.

Please note: it is very important that you keep your details, such as your current passport number, up to date on the Home Office system. Failure to do so may mean that you have difficulty getting back into your account to generate verification codes.

The International@CampusLife team have produced both a step by step Guide to the EU Settlement Scheme Application and a Guide to Completing the EU Settlement Scheme Application webinar which take you through the application and have useful hints and tips for dealing with the online application form. Please make sure you are using these resources to help you.

They are also organising live webinars via Newfields Law. These are a UK Government contracted law firm who are able to assist us with the smooth progression of the EUSS. The next webinar date will be posted here shortly and will target both in UK and overseas applications. In the mean time we are able to share the Newfields Law EUSS Webinar Pp.

The International@CampusLife team will also be running regular workshops in the new academic year and right up until the application deadline of 30th June 2021. Details will be posted here once available and workshop booking will be via Fatsoma.

Remember that anyone who is an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen and who is in the UK before the 31st December 2020 is eligible to apply for the EUSS in their own right. This is not dependent on them being a family member. 

We recommend that in all cases any eligible family members should always get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

I have, or will have, EUSS status

If you are the citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, Close family members, that are not living in the UK by 31 December 2020 will still be able to join you in the UK, as long as the relationship began before 31st December 2020 and it still exists. They would need to make an EUSS application before coming to the UK.

Children born or adopted to, an EUSS holder, after 31 December 2020 and future dependants, will also have their rights protected.

Who are ‘close family members’?

For the purposes of the EUSS, close family members include spouses, civil partners, unmarried partners, dependant children and grandchildren, and dependant parents and grandparents. Family members do not need to be from the EU; they can come from anywhere in the world (referred to as non-EU citizen family member).

There is further information about the situations where it is possible to apply for the scheme as a family member on the Gov.uk website. You need to be prepared to provide evidence relating to the reason why you believe you can apply as the family member of an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen (e.g. spouse, carer etc.). You should also expect to have to book an appointment at a UK Visas and Citizenship Application Centre (UKVCAS) to give your biometric information (the nearest one to Swansea is in Cardiff). The link above will give you guidance on documentation etc. There is no guidance which states they need to have been given a decision on their application, you just need to provide their application number.

Application timing

If you are applying as the close member of an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen who is also making an application under the EUSS, they would make their application first. This means they would have an EUSS application number that could provide to you to add to your application. Your applications can then be linked for caseworker ease and in some cases (such as dependant child below) their evidence can be used to support your application.

Applying for a dependant child

If you (or your partner) are an EU citizen, you (or they) can apply for a dependant child (who is under 21) to stay in the UK. This is irrespective of the child's nationality. The easiest way to facilitate this is for you to make your application first (although you do not need to wait until you have a decision on your application).

Once you have done this, you will be able to use your application number to link your application with your child and if you are successful in your own application, your child will be granted the same status/leave as you.

You should use the same application process for the child but select that they are basing their application on their parents' residency in the 'Residence in the UK' section of the application form (this is detailed on page 2 of our Guide to the EU Settlement Scheme Application). You will not have to provide additional residency documentation for your child if you follow this process, although you will have to provide evidence of relationship (i.e. a birth certificate or similar).

Further information about applying for your dependant child can be found in the relevant section of the information on the Gov.uk website.

Some EU students may be worried about the effect of a Study Abroad period (in another country outside the UK) on their continuous residence, whether they can still apply for the EU Settlement Scheme or whether they should be undertaking a Study Abroad placement at all.

If you are a Swansea student from the EU, and are currently outside the UK on a Study Abroad placement you should still be able to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme on re-entry to the UK before 31st December 2020. This is because the government has announced that, as an EU Citizen, you will still be able to enter the UK for 3 months without gaining prior immigration. You would use this concession to come back to Swansea at the end of your Study Abroad period.

If you are on a study abroad placement and due to come back to the UK after 31st December 2020, please email International @CampusLife for advice.

Normally, EU citizens can only stay in the UK for 3 months. However, once you are back in the UK, you will be able to apply for immigration under the EU Settlement Scheme based on the fact that you were an enrolled Swansea student and that your period outside the UK was permissible under that scheme. You would just need to follow the information about applying for the scheme above and access a University EUSS Student Statement to support your application. This will have details of your complete course length and the permissable period you were outside the UK. You would need to undertake this application within 3 months of re-entering the UK. This is because the University will need to see that you have the Right to Study in the UK and are not staying in the UK beyond the 3 months permissable with no immigration status.

If you are a current EU student who is planning on undertaking a future Study Abroad option, your right to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme will not be affected by your doing so. You should apply under the EU Settlement Scheme as soon as possible and before you leave. Your Study Abroad period should then fall as a permissable absence under the Settlement Scheme and your immigration status should not be adversely affected.

If you require further information and advice about the information above, please email International @CampusLife  to help you.

There is a lot of further information available regarding the EU Settlement Scheme and application process.

There are several video resources that are useful for all applicants; the Home Office have produced a very short video (less than 2 minutes) called The EU Settlement Scheme: How to Apply and the organisation Free Movement have produced a 20 minute video walk through of the Scheme  There are others available if you search for the EUSS online.

The Gov.uk website holds official information regarding the scheme.

The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) are an excellent, reliable source of information and they have a free Student Advice Line which our students can access.

If you have non standard answers or circumstances, that are not detailed in our EUSS webinar or Guide, you may like to download the latest Home Office Policy Guidance to assist you.

If you have any questions that have not been answered in these pages, please email the International@Campuslife team and they will always endeavour to assist where they can.

The University will continue to monitor the situation and look for areas in which we can support our students.