EU Settlement Scheme
The Home Office EU Settlement Scheme provides EU citizens and their families with a route to living and working in the UK beyond 31 December 2020.
The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020 and entered a transition period that ended on 31 December. EU citizens living in the UK before 31 December were able to prove their right to work and live in the UK via the EU Settlement Scheme until 30 June 2021. Individuals who arrived in the UK before the end of the transition period (31 December 2020) will be able to live and work as normal and were eligible to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme, while those who arrived on or after 1 January 2021 are subject to the new immigration system. You can find out more about the new immigration system.
There are some situations when late applications can be made to the EU Settlement Scheme, which are detailed in the guidance below.
A number of resources are available to support your staff to understand their eligibility and apply to the scheme and you can find further background to the scheme below.
|
Resource |
Description |
|
Preparing for the EU Settlement Scheme application deadline | NHS Employers |
Guidance on supporting individuals to sign up to the EU Settlement Scheme before the window for applications closed on 30 June 2021. This also includes a description of situations when late applications to the scheme can be made. |
|
Preparing for the new points-based immigration system and securing EU citizen rights webinar | NHS Employers and the Home Office |
This recording discusses the new points-based immigration system, what this means for the overseas recruitment, and the latest resources available and information on the EU settlement scheme. Also includes comprehensive FAQ's. |
|
Encouraging your workforce to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme | NHS Employers |
This resource includes good practice examples of support NHS organisations have offered their EU staff. |
|
Eligibility for EU Settlement Scheme flowchart | NHS Employers |
A flowchart to help your staff understand whether they are eligible for the scheme or not. |
|
EU Settlement Scheme webinar | NHS Employers |
A recording of our webinar with Capsticks LLP, discussing the political context and ways of supporting staff. |
|
This section includes detail on the current status of the scheme, a link to communication materials in 26 different EU languages as well as other supportive resources. |
|
|
Employer toolkit | Gov.uk |
This resource contains an overview of the EU Settlement Scheme and provides a range of tools and information to help you support your EU staff and their families to apply to the scheme, including posters and social media content to share with your staff. |
Making late applications to the scheme
The EU Settlement Scheme was open to all EEA citizens meeting the eligibility criteria.
The deadline to apply to the scheme was 30 June 2021. If you have ‘reasonable grounds’ to make a late application, please visit the government website.
The ID checking process can be completed on Android devices (6.0 and above) and iPhone devices (iPhone 7 and above). The process is free of charge.
The process for EU citizens (late applications)
Your EU staff will need to follow three simple steps when making their application:
- confirm their identity
- demonstrate that they live in the UK
- declare that they have no serious criminal convictions.
For those EU staff who already have a valid permanent residence documentation, they will be able to exchange it for pre-settled or settled status for free.
Those with indefinite leave to enter/remain in the UK or have British or Irish citizenship do not need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Demonstrating settled status
EU staff are able to view and prove their settled status online using the GOV.UK website. Using this service, staff will be able to obtain a code to share with employers that will evidence their status. EEA nationals can no longer rely on an EEA passport or national identity card and will need to demonstrate their right to work either by proving their pre-settled or settled status or with a visa under the points-based immigration system.
Recording status
The Electronic Staff Record (ESR) includes fields to record and report on pre and settled status.
The development of the new fields follows close engagement between ESR, NHS Employers and NHS organisations to ensure EU Settlement Scheme information can be suitably recorded.
