22 Jul What type of evidence is needed under the EUSS?
On 30 March 2019, the EU Settlement Scheme was launched. As a result, if you are now residing in the UK and are an EEA or Swiss national, you can apply for ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-settled’ status under the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK post Brexit. Please note that the EEA includes EU countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. However, Irish citizens or EEA nationals who were granted Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the past, are allowed to remain in the UK without having to apply for settled status.
How much does it cost?
In the past, the Home Office would charge £65, but with the introduction of the new digital service, it is now free to apply for ‘Settled’ and/or ‘Pre-settled’ status. The deadline is set to be 30 June 2021. However, in the event of a no deal scenario, this is likely to be moved forward to 31 December 2020.
Supporting documents for EU Settlement Scheme
Applicants will need to provide proof of identity as well as documents to show their residence in the UK (unless they were granted Permanent Residence or ILR status).
Proof of identity
The EU, EEA or Swiss citizens can rely on a valid passport or a national identity card (ID) as evidence of identity. Non-EU family members, will need to submit their valid passport, as well as a biometric residence card or residence card.
Evidence of continuous residence
The easiest way to confirm their UK residence is for migrants to submit their National Insurance (NI) number to the automated check system:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-settlement-scheme-uk-tax-and-benefits-records-automated-check
Applicants do not need to provide evidence for the entire UK residence, but they can submit one piece of evidence to cover each month or longer period of time.
In addition, all the supporting documents must be dated and show the applicant’s name. A maximum of 10 documents can be uploaded to show evidence of UK residence, and each document must be no more than 6MB in size.
Evidence that covers longer periods of time
Documents that cover a longer period of time between 2 dates include:
- Annual bank statement or account summary
- Employer letter
- Council tax bill
- Letter, certificate, invoice from school, college, university or other accredited educational or training organisation
- Document showing a UK address from a student finance body or from the Student Loans Company
- Residential mortgage statement or rental agreement and evidence of payment
- Letter from a registered care home
- Employer pension contributions
- Annual business account of a self-employed person
- P60
- P45
Evidence that covers shorter periods of time
Some documents can be counted as evidence for 1 month if they have a single date. For instance:
- Bank statement
- Payslip for a UK-based job
- Water, gas or electricity bill
- Landline or mobile telephone, TV or internet bill
- Domestic bill, such as for home repairs, vet’s services or insurance, and evidence of payment
- Card or letter from your GP, hospital or other healthcare professional
- Letter from a government department, public service or charity
- Passport UK stamp
- Used travel ticket to entered the UK
- UK invoice
Please note that the applicant CANNOT use photos, videos, letters or references from family and friends, greeting cards, postcards and personal scrapbooks as the evidence.
Contact Our Immigration Team
For expert advice regarding any aspect of the EU Settlement Scheme, please contact our immigration team on 0203 384 3075 or contact us here.
