EU Settlement Scheme
Helping you settle in the UK with the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
Since the UK left the EU in 2020, EEA Visas have changed. Now EEA (the EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and Swiss citizens must apply for visas to live, work or study in the UK in the same way as the rest of the world – but there are some exceptions.
If you, or a family member are a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, and have lived in the UK prior to 31 December, 2020 you may still be able to apply for the right to stay in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme. This used to be called an EEA Visa, or an EEA Family Permit.
The deadline for most people to apply was 30 June, 2021 but you can still apply if you:
- Meet one of the criteria for a later deadline
- Have “reasonable grounds” for not applying in time
- Already have pre-settled status and you’re applying for settled status
If you do not qualify for any of the above criteria, there may be other grounds which can be considered or other immigration routes available to you.

Key information
Successful EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) applicants were initially granted either pre-settled status or settled status.
Settled status is equivalent to permanent residency and pre-settled status enables applicants to remain in the UK for a further five years, in order to meet the residency period needed to gain full settled status.
If you have pre-settled status, and you can evidence 5 years of continuous residency in the UK, you may be able to apply under the EU Settlement Scheme for settled status. This application must be submitted before your pre-settled status expires. The qualifying five-year period is from when you first arrived in the UK to when you make your application.
In addition, you may still be eligible if you did not make an application under the EU Settlement Scheme but have a valid reason (also referred to as “reasonable grounds”) for making a late application.
If you are the family member of someone from the EEA or Switzerland, you may qualify for an EU Settlement Scheme family permit to come to the UK. You may also be able to apply if you are the family member of an eligible person of Northern Ireland and, in certain circumstances, the family member of some British citizens.
You must be outside the UK to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) family permit.
The EUSS family permit would enable you to travel to the UK and gain entry on your arrival. As a permit holder you can work and study in the UK for 6 months, at which point you must either leave the UK or apply under the scheme for further leave.
There are different ways you can be eligible for a family permit and how you apply depends on your eligibility.