EU Settlement Scheme: caseworker guidance
Immigration staff guidance on applications under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Documents
Details
UK Visas and Immigration guidance on how staff consider applications made under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Find out more about the EU Settlement Scheme and how to apply.
Previous versions of this guidance, including those used for the testing phases of the EU Settlement Scheme, can be found on the National Archives website.
We are aware these publications may have accessibility issues. We are reviewing them so that we can fix these.
Read more about our accessible documents policy.
Last updated 24
-
Added accessible versions of PDFs.
-
Updated EU Settlement Scheme derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim Teixeira cases).
-
Updates made to EU Settlement Scheme: person with a Zambrano right to reside to reflect changes to Appendix EU made by the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 719 laid on 18 October 2022.
-
Updated due to changes to changes in the Immigration Rules.
-
Changes to the temporary concession to treat the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus as part of the European Economic Area where an accompanying family member of a member of HM Forces, who was posted there before the end of the transition period, otherwise meets the requirements as a 'family member of a qualifying British citizen'.
-
Replaced EU Settlement Scheme: suitability requirements.
-
Updated guidance on derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim/Teixeira cases) published.
-
Updated guidance on Zambrano right to reside published.
-
Updated guidance 'EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members' to reflect the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules: HC 1118, laid on 15 March 2022.
-
Updated EU Settlement Scheme: suitability requirements guidance.
-
Updated 'EU Settlement Scheme: family member of a qualifying British citizen' guidance. For a full list of changes, see the 'Changes from last version of this guidance' section within.
-
EU Settlement Scheme EU, other EEA, Swiss citizens and their family members - changes have been made in particular to reflect changes in the approach to contacting the applicant at the validity and eligibility stages where they have submitted fraudulent evidence.
-
Updated version of "EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members" published, which includes guidance from the deleted document "EU Settlement Scheme: coronavirus (COVID-19)".
-
EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members guidance updated following rules changes on 1 July.
-
New EU Settlement Scheme: coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance added.
-
'EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members’ guidance updated. Updates to the tables setting out the countries that have extended the validity of their identity documents in response to the COVID-19 situation, which documents the extensions apply to, and the impact on the expiry date.
-
Updated 'EU Settlement Scheme: person with a Zambrano right to reside' to reflect the changes to Appendix EU made in Statements of Changes in Immigration Rules, up to HC 1248, laid on 4 March 2021.
-
Updated the 'EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members' document in line with Immigration Rules changes.
-
Updated the EU Settlement Scheme suitability requirements document.
-
Updated EU Settlement Scheme guidance for EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members.
-
Updated 'EU Settlement Scheme: suitability requirements'. Document updated with guidance on pending prosecutions.
-
Updated EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members with amendments to appendix EU made in statement of changes in immigration rules: HC 813, laid on 22 October 2020.
-
'EUSS suitability requirements' guidance updated to reflect end of transition.
-
Updated 'EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members' main guidance to include a section on adults with care and support needs.
-
Updated 'EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members' main guidance.
-
Amendments have been made to the first document to reflect the changes to Appendix EU made in Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules: CP 232.
-
Updated 'EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members' main guidance to include amendments made to reflect the changes to Appendix EU made in Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules: CP 232, laid on 14 May 2020.
-
Updated the EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members document.
-
Updated main guidance and suitability requirements to reflect changes to Appendix EU made by Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules: HC 120, 12 March 2020 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-120-12-march-2020).
-
Guidance document "EU Settlement Scheme: person with a Zambrano right to reside" updated with minor amendments to clarify the stage by stage consideration process.
-
EU Settlement Scheme - suitability requirements guidance updated.
-
EU Settlement Scheme: derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim/Texeira cases) guidance updated. EU Settlement Scheme: person with a Zambrano right to reside guidance updated. EU Settlement Scheme interim guidance: gender identity and sex markers on documents guidance added.
-
Change to British citizen family member guidance to reflect amendments made to regulation 9 of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 on 15 August 2019 and Appendix EU to the Immigration Rules by Statements of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 2631 (laid on 9 September 2019) and HC 170 (laid on 24 October 2019)
-
First document has been updated. Amendments have been made to reflect the changes to Appendix EU, mainly in respect of provision for the operation of the EU Settlement Scheme in the event that the UK leaves the European Union without a deal.
-
Updated main caseworker guidance
-
Added guidance on persons with a Zambrano right to reside.
-
New guidance on family member of a qualifying British citizen and derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim/Teixeira cases) added.
-
Added a link to the National Archives website for previous versions of this guidance, including those used for the testing phases of the EU Settlement Scheme.
-
New guidance for applications made under the EU Settlement Scheme during the public beta phase.
-
New EU Settlement Scheme guidance for staff on suitability requirements.
-
New EU Settlement Scheme on EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members guide.
-
Public test phase guidance added.
-
EU citizens and their family members guidance pdf updated.
-
Caseworker guidance about how to assess whether an applicant meets the suitability requirements of the scheme added.
-
New guidance for applications made under the EU Settlement Scheme during the pilot taking place between 1 November and 21 December 2018.
-
First published.
Update history
2024-04-09 16:34
‘EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members’ has been updated to reflect changes to the Immigration Rules made in Statement of Changes HC 590, laid on 14 March 2024, and in respect of reasonable grounds for delay in making an application (where further late applications are concerned) and validity consideration.
2024-04-04 00:10
Updated the EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members guidance to reflect changes to the Immigration Rules made in Statement of Changes HC 590, laid on 14 March 2024, and in respect of reasonable grounds for delay in making an application (where further late applications are concerned) and validity consideration.
2024-01-16 12:00
The EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members guidance has been updated.
2023-10-05 00:01
Updated the guidance for EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members.
2023-08-23 12:08
Accessible versions of the ‘family member of a qualifying British citizen’ and ‘person with a Zambrano right to reside’ guidance added.
2023-08-16 16:03
‘Person with a Zambrano right to reside’: updated because the EU Settlement Scheme is closed to new applications from this group, where they do not already hold pre-settled status or a relevant EUSS family permit.
2023-08-09 11:07
‘EU Settlement Scheme: family member of a qualifying British citizen’ – updated to reflect the closure of the EU Settlement Scheme to new applications from those applying as a family member of a qualifying British citizen, where they do not already hold pre-settled status or an EUSS family permit.
2023-08-09 00:01
Changes have been made in particular to reflect the changes to Appendix EU made in Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 1496, laid on 17 July 2023.
2023-04-12 00:15
Minor changes to family member of a qualifying British Citizen guidance in line with the Immigration rules changes and minor formatting changes throughout. Changes have been made to derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim / Teixeira cases), EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members and EU Settlement Scheme person with a Zambrano right to reside guidance to reflect the Immigration Rules which come into force on 12 April 2023.
2023-02-17 17:06
Updated EU Settlement Scheme: derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim / Teixeira cases) guidance.
2023-01-24 11:54
Added accessible versions of PDFs.
2023-01-16 09:28
Updated EU Settlement Scheme derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim Teixeira cases).
2022-12-19 14:06
Updates made to EU Settlement Scheme: person with a Zambrano right to reside to reflect changes to Appendix EU made by the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 719 laid on 18 October 2022.
2022-11-09 00:15
Updated due to changes to changes in the Immigration Rules.
2022-08-11 12:29
Changes to the temporary concession to treat the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus as part of the European Economic Area where an accompanying family member of a member of HM Forces, who was posted there before the end of the transition period, otherwise meets the requirements as a ‘family member of a qualifying British citizen’.
2022-07-08 11:37
Replaced EU Settlement Scheme: suitability requirements.
2022-06-13 17:07
Updated guidance on derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim/Teixeira cases) published.
2022-06-13 11:53
Updated guidance on Zambrano right to reside published.
2022-04-13 15:37
Updated guidance ‘EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members’ to reflect the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules: HC 1118, laid on 15 March 2022.
2022-04-06 00:15
Updated EU Settlement Scheme: suitability requirements guidance.
2022-03-24 11:11
Updated ‘EU Settlement Scheme: family member of a qualifying British citizen’ guidance. For a full list of changes, see the ‘Changes from last version of this guidance’ section within.
2021-12-17 14:12
EU Settlement Scheme EU, other EEA, Swiss citizens and their family members – changes have been made in particular to reflect changes in the approach to contacting the applicant at the validity and eligibility stages where they have submitted fraudulent evidence.
2021-11-15 12:07
Updated version of “EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members” published, which includes guidance from the deleted document “EU Settlement Scheme: coronavirus (COVID-19)”.
2021-05-24 12:01
'EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members' guidance updated. Updates to the tables setting out the countries that have extended the validity of their identity documents in response to the COVID-19 situation, which documents the extensions apply to, and the impact on the expiry date.
2021-04-06 11:32
Updated the 'EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members' document in line with Immigration Rules changes.
2021-04-01 00:00
Updated EU Settlement Scheme guidance for EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members.
2021-03-10 15:53
Updated 'EU Settlement Scheme: suitability requirements'. Document updated with guidance on pending prosecutions.
2020-08-24 09:30
Updated 'EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members' main guidance.
2020-07-13 09:49
Amendments have been made to the first document to reflect the changes to Appendix EU made in Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules: CP 232.
2020-06-24 14:40
Updated 'EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members' main guidance to include amendments made to reflect the changes to Appendix EU made in Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules: CP 232, laid on 14 May 2020.
2020-05-21 16:36
Updated the EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members document.
2020-04-06 17:01
Updated main guidance and suitability requirements to reflect changes to Appendix EU made by Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules: HC 120, 12 March 2020 (
2020-02-13 15:06
Guidance document “EU Settlement Scheme: person with a Zambrano right to reside” updated with minor amendments to clarify the stage by stage consideration process.
2019-12-11 13:59
EU Settlement Scheme – suitability requirements guidance updated.
2019-11-21 08:51
EU Settlement Scheme: derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim/Texeira cases) guidance updated.EU Settlement Scheme: person with a Zambrano right to reside guidance updated.EU Settlement Scheme interim guidance: gender identity and sex markers on documents guidance added.
2019-11-15 15:32
Change to British citizen family member guidance to reflect amendments made to regulation 9 of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 on 15 August 2019 and Appendix EU to the Immigration Rules by Statements of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 2631 (laid on 9 September 2019) and HC 170 (laid on 24 October 2019)
2019-11-08 14:24
First document has been updated. Amendments have been made to reflect the changes to Appendix EU, mainly in respect of provision for the operation of the EU Settlement Scheme in the event that the UK leaves the European Union without a deal.
2019-10-03 16:19
Updated main caseworker guidance
2019-08-06 14:55
Added guidance on persons with a Zambrano right to reside.