This is our home: Peer support group for EU citizens* who have broken their continuity of residence
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 and are worried about absences in your residence in the UK? Is the current Home Office policy confusing, making you anxious about the future?
At the3million, we are facilitating a group of people who are facing the same issue to come together, ask questions, share their stories, and support each other.
If you would like to join the group, please drop us a line at [email protected].
*We use EU citizens as a shorthand for citizens of one of the member states of the EU or the EEA or Switzerland and their non-EU family members.
About absences and breaking continuity of residence
Before July 2025, anyone with pre-settled status who had been absent from the UK for more than 6 months in any 12 months could have broken their continuity of residence*.
From 16th July 2025, the absence policy is more flexible. People with pre-settled status will qualify for settled status when they’ve been resident in the UK for at least 30 months (2.5 years) in total in the most recent 60 month period (5 years).
This has been a significant change which should positively impact a majority of people in our peer support group. At the3million, we have been urging the government to take a compassionate approach. We continue to bring people together to monitor how this new policy is being implemented, and continue to exchange knowledge and support.
Please note: We are not accredited to provide legal immigration advice, so we will not be able to answer specific questions related to your individual circumstances. We can only share general information and signpost you to accredited professionals.
*There are limited exceptions to this.
About the group
We understand different life circumstances have led to people being away from the UK. We believe people who have made their lives here should be welcomed and encouraged to continue to live here - this is our home.
The aim of this group is to support each other, find solidarity and compassion within one another, and monitor how changes to the absence policy is being implemented.
- Meetings are on Zoom and are not recorded.
- You will need to register to attend.
- We’ll encourage you to use your camera and microphone, as this is a participatory meeting.
- Please read our group rules and guidelines before joining the session, and respect these when interacting with one another.
For questions, please email [email protected].
About your facilitators
Community Organisers Ola Sobieraj and Arnas Tamasauskas are facilitating this group.
- Ola is a Polish citizen with settled status who had experience managing a frontline EUSS Support Project
- Arnas is a Lithuanian citizen with experience working as a psychology researcher and consultant on projects that support marginalised communities.
Resources
- Information on the changes: Changes to the absence policy for pre-settled status holders under the EU Settlement Scheme
- 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: Absence calculator
- Find out more about recent changes to pre-settled status:
Automatic extensions following High Court’s ruling on the EU Settlement Scheme
