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EUSS automation - extensions, upgrades and cancellation

The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) was launched in late 2018. For those who were granted pre-settled status in the earliest days of the scheme, this meant that their pre-settled status would expire in late 2023.

A 2022 High Court judgment (brought by the IMA, with the3million and the European Commission intervening) decided that pre-settled status couldn’t simply expire just because the individual didn’t make a further application to the EUSS.

Therefore, to comply with this High Court judgment, the Home Office implemented various phases of automation to make sure pre-settled status did not expire for those who continued to meet the conditions of the Withdrawal Agreement.

Phase 1 automation

In September 2023, the Home Office started automatically extending people’s pre-settled status just before it was due to expire. These extensions were applied in a blanket fashion without checking whether people were still meeting the conditions for pre-settled status.

Phase 2 automation

In January 2025, the Home Office started a process of automatically upgrading some pre-settled status holders to settled status. This was not required by the High Court judgment, but was done to try to get more people onto settled status. 

The only pre-settled status holders who could benefit from the automated upgrades were those who:

  • Were an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen; and
  • had been in the UK by 31 December 2020; and
  • were over 18; and
  • had not been granted pre-settled status under one of the ‘derivative rights’ routes; and
  • had not been granted another form of immigration status after having pre-settled status; and
  • had a five year digital footprint with HMRC or DWP to verify continuous residence. 

Phase 3 automation

On 9 April 2026, the Home Office introduced phase 3 of their automation, which has replaced phases 1 and 2. A welcome change in phase 3 is that the automation now uses the more flexible ‘30/60’ absence rules to determine eligibility for settled status, rather than the previous ‘6/12’ absence rules (see our webpage on changes to the absence rules for more details). 

However, as with phase 2, this automated upgrade process still only works for the cohort set out above. See our webpage on automatic upgrades for more information. However, in some cases travel data can also result in a semi-automated grant of settled status.

Phase 3 also brings in a new part of the process: the Home Office removing pre-settled status from people who they think have been out of the UK for too long, and therefore broken their continuous residence.

On this page, we try to set how this process will work in practice, and what the emails that you might receive from the Home Office will look like. Please make sure your contact details are up to date in your UKVI account so that you receive these emails.  

* Please note, the content of these email templates were correct as at 4 June 2026, they are subject to change by the Home Office.

Receive initial automation email

If you have pre-settled status, then six weeks before the expiry date that is shown on your eVisa, you should receive the email below from the Home Office. 

You don’t need to do anything at this point, it’s just to let you know that your pre-settled status is now going into the automation process.

Click on the image for the full email template (*).

Receive an upgrade to settled status or an extension of pre-settled status

Shortly after receiving the initial email, you should receive one the following two emails:

  • An email granting you settled status; OR
  • An email granting you an extension of your pre-settled status

Click on the images for the full email template (*).

 

PRE-SETTLED STATUS EXTENSION - what happens next?

If you were granted settled status in the previous step:

  • This is the end of the Automation process for you, and you shouldn’t get any further emails from the Home Office.

If you are not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, or if you are under the age of 18, or if you only arrived in the UK after 31 December 2020, or if your pre-settled status is under other eligibility criteria (e.g. ‘derivative rights’):

  • You should have been granted pre-settled status in the previous step, and this is also the end of the Automation process for you. Note however, if the Home Office removes your sponsor’s pre-settled status then they will likely examine your pre-settled status at some point in the future too.

In all other cases: 

Your case will continue to progress through the next stage of the automation process. Note, this only applies to you if you are an  EU/EEA/Swiss citizen who is over the age of 18 and you were in the UK by 31 December 2020.

First, your pre-settled status, along with all other pre-settled statuses expiring around the same time as yours, will be compared against Home Office travel data. All these pre-settled statuses will then be ordered in a list, from those with the least total absences to those with the most total absences.

Next, Home Office caseworkers will look at the statuses at both extremes of the list, and decide what to do next.

There are with three possible outcomes for the next stage:

  • OPTION 1: Receive an upgrade to settled status; OR
  • OPTION 2: Enter the ‘minded to curtail’ process; OR
  • OPTION 3: Hear nothing further

Each of these stages is set out in more detail in the steps further down.

PSS Extension OPTION 1 - Receive an upgrade to settled status

In the previous automation step, the Home Office was unable to automatically upgrade your pre-settled status to settled status, because they were unable to find evidence of 30 months of residence in the last 60 months just by looking at HMRC or DWP data. 

However, by this stage, the Home Office has looked at the travel data they hold for you, and if they consider that you have been in the UK for at least 30 months out of the last 60, they will grant you settled status, and you will receive the email below. 

If this situation applies to you, you might be a bit confused by the emails you’ve received over a short space of time, because by now you will have received:

  1. An email saying the Home Office will consider if you are eligible for settled status.
  2. An email saying they reviewed the information and data available to them but they were unable to confirm your eligibility for settled status, so they extended your pre-settled status instead.
  3. Now an email saying that you have been granted settled status.

This is because the Home Office could not grant you settled status on the basis of HMRC and DWP data, but they could grant you settled status after a caseworker reviewed your travel data. This is therefore a semi-automated grant of settled status.

Having been granted settled status, this is now the end of the automation process for you.

Click on the image for the full email template (*).

PSS Extension OPTION 2 - Enter the ‘minded-to-curtail’ process

Once the Home Office has looked at both your tax and benefit data, and your travel data, and they think you have been out of the UK for too long, they can decide that they want to cancel or curtail your pre-settled status.

This process has a few stages, which we describe in the Curtailment/Cancellation Process section further down on this webpage.

PSS Extension OPTION 3 - Hear nothing further

As explained earlier, your pre-settled status, along with all other pre-settled statuses expiring around the same time as yours, will be compared against Home Office travel data. All these pre-settled statuses will then be ordered in a list, from those with the least total absences to those with the most total absences.

Home Office caseworkers will look at the statuses at both extremes of the list, and decide what to do next.

Your pre-settled status will form part of this list for around six weeks. 

If, during these six weeks, your level of absences does not reach either extreme of the list (meaning that a caseworker could either grant you settled status, or send you a ‘minded-to-curtail’ letter), then you will be removed from the automation process.

It means that if you have not heard anything within six weeks of receiving your pre-settled status extension, you can assume that nothing further will happen (until your pre-settled status once again reaches its new expiry date).

You can make an application for settled status once you become eligible for it. See our downloadable 30/60 absence calculator to help you work out when this might be the case for you.

 

Details of the curtailment/cancellation process

 

CURTAILMENT/CANCELLATION - Minded to curtail letter and requests for evidence

The first stage of this process is to send you a ‘minded to curtail’ letter as shown below. 

If you receive this email, you will be asked to provide information and evidence to the Home Office to show either:

  • That you meet the continuous residence conditions or, if you do not meet these conditions;
  • Reasons why it would be disproportionate to remove your pre-settled status.

You can request more time, and you might want to seek legal advice.

Click on the image for the full email template (*).

If you have provided information and evidence to the Home Office but they want more evidence, then the Home Office will send you the email below, requesting further evidence. 

Click on the image for the full email template (*).

CURTAILMENT/CANCELLATION - What happens next?

At this point, there are four possible outcomes depending on the evidence and information you provide to the Home Office:

  • OPTION 1: You are granted settled status.
  • OPTION 2: You are not eligible for settled status, but it would be disproportionate to remove your pre-settled status, so you can keep your pre-settled status.
  • OPTION 3: Neither option 1 or 2 applies, and the Home Office issues a curtailment decision.
  • OPTION 4: Neither option 1 or 2 applies, and the Home Office issues a cancellation decision.

Each of these is explained further below.

CURTAILMENT/CANCELLATION - OPTION 1: Granted settled status

If, having looked at your evidence, the Home Office decides that you are in fact eligible for settled status, then they will send you the email below granting you settled status. 

Click on the image for the full email template (*).

CURTAILMENT/CANCELLATION - OPTION 2: Pre-settled status maintained

If, having looked at your evidence, the Home Office decides that even though you are not currently eligible for settled status, it would not be proportionate for you to lose your pre-settled status, then they will send you the email below telling you that you can keep your pre-settled status. 

The email also explains that if you build up your UK residence, you may become eligible for settled status in future, and that you can submit an application for it as soon as you do. See our downloadable 30/60 absence calculator to help you work out when this might be the case for you.

Click on the image for the full email template (*).

CURTAILMENT/CANCELLATION - OPTION 3: Curtailment decision

If the Home Office decides that you are not eligible for settled status, and that it would not be disproportionate to remove your pre-settled status, then they will send you either a curtailment or a  cancellation decision.

A curtailment decision (see below) is sent when they think you are currently in the UK. You can appeal this decision within 14 days of the curtailment decision letter. If you do submit your appeal within 14 days, you will keep your pre-settled status until your appeal receives a final decision.

Click on the image for the full email template (*).

CURTAILMENT/CANCELLATION - OPTION 4: Cancellation decision

If the Home Office decides that you are not eligible for settled status, and that it would not be disproportionate to remove your pre-settled status, then they will send you either a curtailment or a  cancellation decision.

A cancellation decision (see below) is sent when they think you are currently outside the UK. Your pre-settled status is lost with immediate effect. You can appeal this decision within 28 days of the cancellation decision letter. Your pre-settled status will be re-instated if you eventually win your appeal. If you want to travel to the UK in the meantime, you will need to apply for permission to enter on another legal basis.

Click on the image for the full email template (*).

 

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