EU Settlement Scheme · IAA-regulated advice
EU Pre-Settled Status Advice in Birmingham & London
Apply for pre-settled status, keep it, or move on to settled status, including late applications with reasonable grounds. We check your deadline, residence and absences, and prepare your application, for a fixed fee agreed in writing.
Last checked 11 October 2026 · Reviewed by Vishal Gautam, IAA-regulated adviser
Overview
What is EU pre-settled status?
Pre-settled status is 5 years’ limited leave under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). You get it if you qualify for the scheme but don’t yet have 5 years’ continuous residence. You can work, study, use the NHS and claim benefits if you’re eligible.
It’s extended automatically by 5 years before it expires, and the Home Office may move you to settled status once you qualify. You need to keep living in the UK: long absences can lead to it being taken away, and more than 5 years away in a row ends it.
✓This is the right route if…
- You’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020, with less than 5 years’ residence
- You’re joining an EU, EEA or Swiss family member with EUSS status, and your relationship began by 31 December 2020
- You already have pre-settled status and want to keep it or move to settled status
- You missed your deadline but have reasonable grounds for applying late
Quick check
Could you qualify? Six questions, one minute
Answer honestly. Nothing is saved or sent: this is a general guide, not advice on your case.
Are you an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020, or the family member of one?EEA also covers Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
If you’re a family member, did your relationship begin by 31 December 2020, and does it still exist?This doesn’t apply to children born or adopted after that date.
Are you applying within your deadline?Joining family members: within 3 months of your latest arrival in the UK. Most others: by 30 June 2021.
Can you prove your identity with a valid passport or national identity card?Non-EEA family members can use a passport or a UK-issued biometric residence card that expired no more than 5 years ago.
Have you avoided serious or repeated criminal convictions?A minor conviction alone usually won’t stop you. Spent convictions and cautions don’t need declaring.
If you already have pre-settled status, are you still living in the UK?Long absences can lead to your status being taken away, and more than 5 years away in a row ends it.
Eligibility
EU pre-settled status requirements
To get pre-settled status you must meet the EUSS rules on the day you apply. Once you have it, you must keep meeting them.
Who can get pre-settled status
- EU, EEA or Swiss citizens who started living in the UK by 31 December 2020
- Their family members already here, or joining them, where the relationship began by 31 December 2020 (children born or adopted later also count)
- Family usually means a spouse, civil partner or durable partner, children, and dependent parents
- Your family member must have settled or pre-settled status, or be an Irish or eligible British citizen
Partners whose relationship began after 31 December 2020 can’t usually use the EUSS: a family visa may fit instead.
Deadlines and late applications
- Joining family members must apply within 3 months of their latest legal entry to the UK
- If you came without an EUSS family permit and an earlier application failed, your 3 months run from your arrival before that application, unless you come back with a family permit
- Children born or adopted in the UK: apply within 3 months of the birth or adoption
- After a deadline, you must show reasonable grounds for the delay, with evidence covering the whole period
No deadline applies when you move from pre-settled to settled status.
Keeping your pre-settled status
- You must keep meeting the EUSS rules. If you don’t, the Home Office may cancel or curtail (cut short) your status, where that’s proportionate
- If it thinks your absences are too long, it writes to you first and gives you 28 days to send evidence, such as your reasons for being away
- Since 8 October 2026, if the Home Office decides removing your status wouldn’t be proportionate, you keep it and can still qualify for settled status
- More than 5 years in a row outside the UK ends your status automatically
Had a ‘minded to curtail’ letter? Contact us straight away: you can ask for more time, but don’t let the 28 days pass.
Moving to settled status
- Your status is extended automatically by 5 years before it expires, and you get an email when it happens
- You qualify for settled status after 5 years’ continuous residence, or if you’ve been away no more than 30 months in total in the last 5 years
- The Home Office may move you automatically, using tax, benefit and travel records
- You can apply yourself, free, as soon as you’re eligible
The Home Office can cancel an extension if it thinks you no longer meet the requirements.
Your rights with pre-settled status
- Work, study, and travel in and out of the UK
- Use the NHS, and claim benefits and pensions if you’re eligible for them
- Children born in the UK can get pre-settled status; they’re British only if they qualify through their other parent
- Children in UK education whose EU parent used to work here, and their primary carer, may keep their status in some cases
Prove your rights with your eVisa and a share code, not your decision letter.
Documents
Pre-settled status documents: the easy part
Most people can list the documents. Problems come from missed deadlines, weak evidence of when you arrived, and family evidence that doesn’t match.
What everyone needs
- Your valid passport or national identity card
- Evidence that you were living in the UK by 31 December 2020, or of when you arrived
- Proof of your relationship, if you’re applying as a family member
- Your family member’s EUSS status, or proof of their nationality
- Evidence of reasonable grounds, if you’re applying late
- Details of any convictions you must declare
Plus a digital photo of your face, your National Insurance number if you have one, and certified English translations of anything not in English.
Costs & timeline
Pre-settled status cost and processing time
Applying to the EU Settlement Scheme is free, including the later move to settled status, and there’s no health surcharge. The Home Office estimates about a month for a straightforward application, and 3 or 6 months where it needs more checks; a certificate of application protects your rights while you wait.
Applying to the EU Settlement Scheme
| Home Office application feethe EU Settlement Scheme is free | £0 |
| Immigration Health Surchargenot charged on EUSS applications | £0 |
| Home Office total, per applicantbefore any translation costs | £0 |
Fee and surcharge position from GOV.UK, checked 11 October 2026. The EUSS family permit is also free. Processing times are the Home Office’s own estimates, not a guarantee. Our consultation fees →
Apply online
Week 0Prove your identity with the ID check app or by post, and give your National Insurance number if you have one.
Certificate of application
Once your application is validIt protects your rights to work, rent, study and use the NHS while you wait. Joining family members are protected for 90 days after arriving.
Pre-settled status
Granted for 5 yearsYou get a decision letter and an eVisa in your UKVI account. Prove your status with a share code.
Automatic extension
Before it expiresExtended by another 5 years, with an email to tell you. Keep living in the UK.
Settled status
Once you qualifyMoved automatically, or apply yourself for free. British citizenship is usually possible 12 months later.
Avoid a refusal
Common pre-settled status refusal reasons
Most refusals come down to deadlines and evidence. These are the issues we check first.
Applying late without evidence
After your deadline, you need reasonable grounds for the delay, with evidence that explains it and covers the whole period since.
We check: whether your reasons are likely to count, and what evidence supports each one.
No proof of living here by 2020
Unless you’re joining family, you must show you were living in the UK by 31 December 2020.
We check: which documents prove when you started living here.
Relationship began too late
For partners, the relationship must have begun by 31 December 2020. Durable partners must show the partnership was durable by then.
We check: the dates in your relationship evidence, and any other route if needed.
Not entering the UK legally
If you’re a joining family member and you arrive in the UK illegally, your application will be rejected.
We check: how and when you entered, before you apply.
Losing status by staying away
If you’re away too long, the Home Office may take away your status after giving you 28 days to respond.
We check: your absences and the reasons for them, and help you respond in time.
Convictions not declared
You must declare convictions on your UK or overseas record. Status granted on false or misleading information can later be cancelled.
We check: what you need to declare, and how to present it.
How we help
Our pre-settled status services
Choose a one-off consultation, or let us handle your application from start to finish for a fixed fee.
Eligibility consultation
We check whether you qualify, which deadline applies to you, and the risks.
Evidence review
We check your identity, residence and relationship evidence, and any reasons for applying late.
Full application
We prepare and submit your application, with an explanation of any delay or gaps.
Settled status
We check when you qualify and apply for you if you’re not moved automatically.
Our scope: we’re regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority at Level 1. If you’re refused and need an appeal, we explain your options and refer you to a solicitor or higher-level adviser straight away.
FAQs
Pre-settled status questions, answered
Does pre-settled status expire?
It lasts 5 years, but the Home Office extends it automatically by another 5 years before it expires and emails you when it does. It may cancel the extension if it thinks you no longer meet the requirements.
When can I get settled status?
Once you have 5 years’ continuous residence, or if you’ve been away no more than 30 months in total in the last 5 years. The Home Office may move you automatically, but you can apply yourself, free, as soon as you’re eligible.
What happens if I stop living in the UK?
If you no longer meet the requirements, the Home Office may cancel or curtail your status where that’s proportionate. For long absences, it writes to you first and gives you 28 days to send evidence, such as your reasons for being away. If you spend more than 5 years in a row outside the UK, you lose your status automatically.
What changed on 8 October 2026?
If the Home Office decides it wouldn’t be proportionate to take away your pre-settled status, for example after a sudden change in family circumstances, you now keep it and can still qualify for settled status. Joining family members must apply within 3 months of their latest arrival. Some children in UK education whose EU parent used to work here, and their primary carer, can keep or get status.
Can I work and claim benefits with pre-settled status?
You can work, study, use the NHS and travel in and out of the UK. You can claim benefits and pensions if you’re eligible for them. Prove your rights with a share code from your eVisa.
Can I still apply if I missed the deadline?
Yes, if you’re eligible and have reasonable grounds for the delay. Your evidence must explain why you couldn’t apply and cover the whole period since the deadline. Examples include serious illness, care needs, an abusive relationship, or a parent who didn’t apply for you as a child.
Can my partner join me if we got together after 2020?
Not usually under the EUSS: the relationship must have begun by 31 December 2020. If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen with pre-settled status based on living here before 2021, your partner may be able to apply for a family visa instead, such as a spouse visa.
Will my baby born in the UK be British?
Not automatically if you have pre-settled status, unless they qualify through their other parent. They can get pre-settled status: apply within 3 months of the birth. Once you get settled status, your child can usually be registered as British while they’re under 18.
Related routes
Other EU Settlement Scheme pages
Ready when you are
Status, sorted.
Book a consultation, or start with the free quick check on this page.