Change description : 2025-04-09 07:00:00: Guidance on suitability requirements and EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members has been updated to reflect changes to the Immigration Rules. Guidance on Zambrano right to reside has been updated to reflect Akinsanya & Anor, R (On the Application Of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department, 2024, EWHC 469 (Admin) (11 March 2024) and Maisiri (EUSS; Zambrano; ‘Realistic Prospect’) Zimbabwe, 2024, UKUT 235 (IAC) (14 June 2024) and to add a new section 7 setting out how to consider applications to switch from pre-settled to settled status. [BrexitGuidance and regulation]
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Details
UK Visas and Immigration guidance on how staff consider applications made under the EU Settlement Scheme.
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.
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Document 'EU Settlement Scheme EU, other EEA, Swiss citizens and family members' updated to take account of new processes under the EU Settlement Scheme for the automated conversion of pre-settled status to settled status.
31 October 2024
Updated the guidance on gender identity and sex markers on documents in line with changes to the biometric residence permit scheme,
8 October 2024
First document on page updated as detailed on page 14.
26 September 2024
An accessible version of EU Settlement Scheme: suitability requirements has been added.
26 September 2024
EU Settlement Scheme: suitability requirements has been updated. Amendments have been made to reflect changes in the EU Settlement Scheme pending prosecution policy.
26 September 2024
Updated EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members guidance to reflect the closure of the biometric residence card replacement service.
10 September 2024
Reinstated version 23 of EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members as version 24 information is not yet correct.
5 September 2024
Changes to reflect the closure of the biometric residence card replacement service.
11 June 2024
Added an accessible version of the guide for EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members.
9 April 2024
'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.
4 April 2024
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.
16 January 2024
The EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members guidance has been updated.
5 October 2023
Updated the guidance for EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members.
23 August 2023
Accessible versions of the 'family member of a qualifying British citizen' and 'person with a Zambrano right to reside' guidance added.
16 August 2023
'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.
9 August 2023
'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.
9 August 2023
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.
12 April 2023
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.
17 February 2023
Updated EU Settlement Scheme: derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim / Teixeira cases) guidance.
24 January 2023
Added accessible versions of PDFs.
16 January 2023
Updated EU Settlement Scheme derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim Teixeira cases).
19 December 2022
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.
9 November 2022
Updated due to changes to changes in the Immigration Rules.
11 August 2022
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'.
8 July 2022
Replaced EU Settlement Scheme: suitability requirements.
13 June 2022
Updated guidance on derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim/Teixeira cases) published.
13 June 2022
Updated guidance on Zambrano right to reside published.
13 April 2022
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.
6 April 2022
Updated EU Settlement Scheme: suitability requirements guidance.
24 March 2022
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.
17 December 2021
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.
15 November 2021
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)".
21 July 2021
EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members guidance updated following rules changes on 1 July.
10 June 2021
New EU Settlement Scheme: coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance added.
24 May 2021
'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.
28 April 2021
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.
6 April 2021
Updated the 'EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members' document in line with Immigration Rules changes.
6 April 2021
Updated the EU Settlement Scheme suitability requirements document.
1 April 2021
Updated EU Settlement Scheme guidance for EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members.
10 March 2021
Updated 'EU Settlement Scheme: suitability requirements'. Document updated with guidance on pending prosecutions.
20 January 2021
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.
31 December 2020
'EUSS suitability requirements' guidance updated to reflect end of transition.
3 December 2020
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.
24 August 2020
Updated 'EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members' main guidance.
13 July 2020
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.
24 June 2020
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.
21 May 2020
Updated the EU Settlement Scheme: EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members document.
6 April 2020
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).
13 February 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.
11 December 2019
EU Settlement Scheme - suitability requirements guidance updated.
21 November 2019
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.
15 November 2019
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)
8 November 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.
3 October 2019
Updated main caseworker guidance
6 August 2019
Added guidance on persons with a Zambrano right to reside.
9 July 2019
New guidance on family member of a qualifying British citizen and derivative right to reside (Chen and Ibrahim/Teixeira cases) added.
2 July 2019
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.
3 April 2019
New guidance for applications made under the EU Settlement Scheme during the public beta phase.
1 April 2019
New EU Settlement Scheme guidance for staff on suitability requirements.
29 March 2019
New EU Settlement Scheme on EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members guide.
21 January 2019
Public test phase guidance added.
6 November 2018
EU citizens and their family members guidance pdf updated.
2 November 2018
Caseworker guidance about how to assess whether an applicant meets the suitability requirements of the scheme added.
1 November 2018
New guidance for applications made under the EU Settlement Scheme during the pilot taking place between 1 November and 21 December 2018.