Enhancements to the EU Settlement Scheme confirmed

New immigration rules, laid in Parliament 17 July, confirm that from September 2023 people with pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) will automatically have their status extended by 2 years before it expires if they have not obtained settled status.

The process will be automated by the Home Office and reflected in the person’s digital status. They will be notified of the extension directly. This will ensure that nobody loses their immigration status if they do not apply to switch from pre-settled to settled status.

The Home Office also intends to take steps to automatically convert as many eligible pre-settled status holders as possible to settled status once they are eligible for it, without them needing to make an application. During 2024, automated checks of pre-settled status will establish their ongoing continuous residence in the UK. Safeguards will be in place to ensure that settled status is not wrongly granted.

More than 2 years on from the EUSS application deadline of 30 June 2021 for those resident in the UK by the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, the range of measures laid before Parliament today will also ensure that the Home Office can ensure the integrity of the EUSS, protecting it against fraud and abuse. They include changes to the way reasonable grounds for late applications to the scheme are considered.

As of 31 March 2023, an estimated 5.6 million Europeans and their family members had secured their rights in the UK through the hugely successful EUSS, with an estimated 2.1 million holding pre-settled status and an estimated 3.5 million holding settled status.

More news to follow closer to Autumn this year.