EU Settled Status: Your Route to Permanent Residence in the UK

Settled status is the permanent immigration status granted under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) to eligible EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens. It gives you the right to live in the UK indefinitely, the equivalent of Indefinite Leave to Remain. Settled status is the end goal of the EU Settlement Scheme for most people: it means your right to be in the UK is no longer subject to any time limit, and you can come and go as you please without the risk of your leave lapsing.

Since the UK's eVisa transition at the end of 2024, settled status is held and proved digitally. There is no physical document. You prove your settled status by generating a share code through your UKVI account at gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status and sharing it with employers, landlords, or service providers when needed. Keeping your UKVI account up to date, including your current passport details, is important for smooth verification.

Who Can Apply for Settled Status?

To apply for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you must:

• Be an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen (or the eligible family member of one) who was resident in the UK by 23:00 on 31 December 2020.
• Have met the qualifying residence requirement, either the traditional five-year continuous residence test or the new 30-months-in-60 test introduced in July 2025 (see below).
• Not have a criminal record that would make you unsuitable for settled status.

Current holders of pre-settled status who have now accumulated sufficient residence are the largest group applying for settled status. However, settled status can also be granted directly to people applying for the first time who already have five years of residence.

1. Traditional five-year continuous residence

You have lived continuously in the UK for at least five years, without being absent for more than six months in any single 12-month period. Certain absences are permitted — for serious illness, compulsory military service, or government-related overseas postings — without breaking continuity. See GOV.UK evidence of UK residence guidance for what documents support your application.

2. New 30-months-in-60 test (from 16 July 2025, pre-settled holders only)

If you hold pre-settled status, you can now qualify for settled status if you have been resident in the UK for at least 30 months in total during the most recent 60-month period. This does not require that those months are consecutive or evenly distributed. It is a cumulative total across the window. This new test was designed to help those whose residence was disrupted by extended absences for family, health, or work reasons.

You only need to satisfy one of the two tests. The 30-month test is available to pre-settled status holders applying either manually or through the automated conversion process.

Automatic Conversion to Settled Status

From January 2025, the Home Office began automatically upgrading eligible pre-settled status holders to settled status using HMRC and DWP records. From 9 April 2026, this process was expanded to use the 30-months-in-60 test: if the system finds at least 30 months of tax or benefit activity in your most recent 60-month period and suitability checks are passed, you are upgraded automatically and notified by email.

If you have not been automatically converted and believe you qualify, you should apply manually — the application is free. Do not rely on the automated process if you hold pre-settled status that is approaching expiry, if you have gaps in your tax or benefit records, or if you fall into a category excluded from automatic conversion.

Late Applications

The main EUSS application deadline was 30 June 2021. However, late applications — including first-time applications for settled status — are still being accepted in 2026 where the applicant can demonstrate reasonable grounds for not having applied earlier. Accepted grounds include serious illness, being a child whose parent did not apply, and other compelling personal circumstances. Since August 2023 the threshold has been assessed more strictly, and applications without a clear, well-evidenced explanation face greater refusal risk.

What Rights Does Settled Status Provide?

• Live in the UK indefinitely, without any time limit on your stay.
• Work in any employment without immigration restriction.
• Study at any institution in the UK.
• Access the NHS and relevant public services.
• Apply for public funds in the same way as other residents, subject to the usual eligibility criteria.
• Travel in and out of the UK freely. Your settled status will not lapse unless you are absent from the UK for more than five years continuously.
• Apply for British citizenship after holding settled status for 12 months, subject to meeting all citizenship requirements, or earlier if you qualify under an accelerated route. See our Naturalisation page for full detail.

Protection From Earned Settlement Changes

The UK government's proposed "earned settlement" framework, which would link ILR to a contribution-based assessment and potentially extend qualifying periods, does not apply to you if you hold or are applying for settled status under the EUSS. Your rights are protected by the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement, which is legally binding and cannot be changed unilaterally. You can plan your settlement pathway with confidence that these rules apply to you regardless of future UK immigration law changes.

Can My Settled Status Lapse?

Yes. EU settled status lapses if you are absent from the UK for a continuous period of five years. This is more generous than standard ILR, which lapses after two years' absence. If you need to remain outside the UK for longer due to exceptional circumstances, seek advice well in advance. Refusals of settled status applications carry a right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal. Administrative Review is no longer available for EUSS decisions.

Apply for EU settled status on GOV.UK.