Your questions on pre-settled status: extensions, automatic conversions to settled status, absences | Q&A Webinar with immigration experts
Further changes have been made to the EU Settlement Scheme - see our page Summary of changes to the EU Settlement Scheme since 2018 for details.
Do you have pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme? Are you worried about the impact that past absences might have on your immigration status in the future? Do you have questions about the automatic conversions to settled status?
You can watch our webinar below, where we shared the latest information available for pre-settled status holders:
- Head of Policy and Advocacy Kezia Tobin (the3million) explained the latest developments
- Immigration expert Chris Benn (Seraphus) took your specific questions
- Andreea Dumitrache (CEO of the3million) shared how you can get support from others in the community and from the3million, through our Peer Support Group.
The webinar took place on 1st April, from 6-7pm.
You can find answers to the questions you've put to us in our updated Q&A document:
About absences and breaking continuity of residence
Anyone with pre-settled status who has been absent from the UK for more than 6 months in any 12 months could have broken their continuity of residence*. It is not clear at the moment what approach the Home Office will take in regards to people who are found to have done so.
The current approach is that everyone with pre-settled status receives a 5 year extension of their status, shortly before the initial expiry date of their status. However, this time cannot be used to start a new 5 years’ continuous residence period for the purposes of obtaining settled status, as that period must have started before 31st December 2020 (unless you have status as a ‘joining family member’).
At the3million, we are urging the government to take a compassionate approach and grant people settled status, on the five year anniversary of their pre-settled status.
*There are limited exceptions to this, including absences due to the Covid-19 pandemic and absences related to an “important reason”.
Resources:
- Find out more about how absences can affect your status and use the absence calculator to work out for how long you’ve been away from the UK: https://the3million.org.uk/absence-calculator
- Find out more about recent changes to pre-settled status: https://the3million.org.uk/changes-to-presettled-status-automatic-extensions
- Find out more about our Peer Support Group for EU citizens who have broken their continuity of residence
