Leticia's 'grant in error' story | “After so many months of worry, I finally feel that I can breathe again.”

Leticia has built a life and career in the UK over the last six years. Born in Brazil she holds Italian citizenship and she was recently granted settled status in the UK, but only after quite a battle with the Home Office which very nearly resulted in her complete uprooting. She knows her story is not unique and is keen to raise awareness of many other people in a similar position.

She first came to the UK in October 2020 and decided to settle here as a European, while continuing to work online. It was a tricky time because of covid but she navigated travel restrictions to go to Italy to finalise the documents that proved her eligibility and by August 2021 she was granted pre-settled status in the UK. The process was smooth, and the visa came with a letter saying she could live in the UK for five years and then have settled status.

“I started my life here, studying, trying to improve my English. I didn’t ask for any money, I worked.”

Leticia initially worked for Amazon on a supply chain apprenticeship but is qualified as a journalist and now works in digital marketing as a campaign specialist. She splits her working life between London and the Midlands where she met her fiance. They plan to marry in 2028.

In 2025 she applied for settled status and was asked for proof of her Italian citizenship but when she sent through documents in Italian and Portuguese they were rejected. She said “I think they saw the wrong date, because my passport is from 2021 and they didn’t understand why it wasn’t from before then”. She was asked for more documents and so called the Home Office to explain.

She spoke to a woman there who said “don’t worry, we are going to cancel your application and then you can apply again next year.” She didn’t receive any confirmation in writing but believed everything was ok and duly applied again in February 2026, this time with all her documents translated into English. She knew from friends that often more documents were needed so she contacted Italy, got these, translated everything and submitted it all.

Over five months passed and she was approaching the August expiry deadline of her pre-settled status when she started to get very anxious and contacted a lawyer. Unfortunately he wasn’t a specialist in the area and simply said that things are often resolved in the two weeks before the deadline. But the deadline passed and she still heard nothing. She contacted the Home Office again and was then told: “this is an error on the system we are going to fix for you”. More time went by and nothing changed and by this time Leticia was calling every day.

Finally she spoke to a woman who told her “I can see your visa is not going to be renewed because I can see your first application is an error.” She was told that her previous application had not actually been cancelled, but rather considered and then refused, and that it had been found that her pre-settled status had been granted in error and so would be left to expire.

By this time her pre-settled status had already expired, which the Home Office said they could do nothing about, but they did tell her that her second application was still live and she might still have a chance with that. She would just have to wait. Anxious about her right to live and work, Leticia asked them what she could do about this but could not get any clear answers. She cancelled her wedding plans in Brazil for 2027 because she did not know what to expect and said she felt like a criminal and became incredibly anxious, “I just had to wait and hope. I couldn’t sleep any more. It was terrible.”

This was when she got in contact with the3million who immediately put her in contact with a specialist solicitor, Christopher Benn, who took her case directly to the Home Office. He pointed out that “granted in error” did not apply to Leticia’s case and a week and a half later, in October, she finally received a letter saying her settled status was granted. It simply stated: “We have now received evidence to show that you meet the definition of a relevant EEA citizen”.

Leticia says: “It really is a huge relief, and I’m so happy to finally be able to move forward without this uncertainty hanging over me. Being able to travel without worrying about my immigration status is such a wonderful feeling. After so many months of worry, I finally feel that I can breathe again.”

'Granted in Error'

the3million is challenging the Home Office ‘granted in error’ policy - see here for more information. We have launched a crowdfunder for our legal costs, please support us.