EU/EEA and Swiss students - EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

Successful applicants to the EUSS can continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021 and will be given either settled status or pre-settled status, depending on whether they have lived in the UK for a continuous five year period.

How does it work?

You must confirm your visa status before you travel to the UK after 1st January 2021.
If you are resident in the UK before 31st December 2020 then you should apply to the EU Settlement Scheme by 30th June 2021. This is a free service.
Successful EUSS applicants can continue living in the UK after 30th June 2021 and you will be given either settled or pre-settled status, depending on whether you have lived in the UK for a continuous five year period.
If your course starts after 1st January 2021 and you are not eligible for the EUSS, then, up to 6 months in advance of your course, you should apply through the Student route.
If your course started in 2020 but you deferred travel until 2021 and cannot enter the UK by 31st December 2020 then you will need to apply for a student visa through the Student route.
If you are currently studying a UK course, have left the UK temporarily, and have not applied to the EUSS and won’t be in the UK by 31 December 2020, you will be able to apply to the EUSS from outside the UK, providing you are able to prove you are still continuously resident here and you have not been absent from the UK for more than 6 months in any 12 month period, with the exception of a single permitted absence of up to 12 months for an important reason.

What does it mean?

Settled status - You can received settled status if you’ve been living in the UK by 31st December 2020 and have lived in the UK for a continuous 5 year period (known as ‘continuous residence’). You can then spend up to 5 years in a row outside the UK without losing your status.

Pre-settled status - If you don’t have 5 years’ continuous residence when you apply, you are likely to receive pre-settled status. You must have started living in the UK by 31st December 2020 and then, prior to your pre-settled status expiry, you can apply to change this to settled status once you’ve got 5 years’ continuous residence. With pre-settled status you can spend up to 2 years in a row outside the UK without losing your status, however, you must maintain your continuous residence if you want to qualify for settled status.