The Latest Settled Status News: Applying Late For Settled Status
You may be forgiven for thinking that a deadline is a deadline unless it is set by the UK government. For what feels like ages, immigration solicitors have been warning EU nationals and their families that applications for settled status and pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme must be submitted by the 30 June 2021. The government has now said that EU citizens who fail to submit an application to EU Settlement Scheme by the 30 June deadline will be given twenty-eight-day notice to apply.
UK Online and London Based Immigration Solicitors
For all your EU Settlement Scheme and immigration law needs call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or complete the online enquiry form.
Settled status – another deadline
The BBC is reporting that the UK government is going to give those EU nationals who have not yet applied for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme one last chance to apply.
The official deadline for settled status applications is the 30 June 2021 unless you fall within one of the limited number of people who can apply late.
The BBC reports that if an EU national fails to meet the deadline for applying to the EU Settlement Scheme by the 30 June 2021, then they will be given a twenty-eight-day warning from the Home Office to submit a settled status application.
Specifically, the BBC said the immigration minister had stated that from the 1 July 2021, Home Office Immigration Enforcement will start a new procedural step for those who are thought to be EU nationals who entered the UK before the end of free movement on the 31 December 2020 but who have failed to apply for settled status or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and who have not left the UK before the cut-off deadline of the 30 June 2021 or applied for a different type of visa, such as the skilled worker visa.
The twenty-eight-day notice
Home Office Immigration Enforcement will reportedly be issuing twenty-eight-day notices to advise EU nationals and those who meet the eligibility criteria for the EU Settlement Scheme to urgently apply for settled status by making a late application to the scheme. The application will need to be submitted within twenty-eight days of the issue of the notice. Immigration solicitors warn that the Home Office may not send everyone a twenty-eight-day warning notice as some EU nationals may not be on relevant data lists.
Outstanding settled status applications
Immigration solicitors have received a flurry of calls from EU citizens who are rushing their settled status applications before the reported cut off date of the 30 June 2021 and who are worried that their applications will be rejected or will not be determined by the Home Office before the 30 June 2021.
If you are not certain about how to go about applying for settled status you can use the OTS Solicitors same day settled status service. If your circumstances are complicated speak to one of our individual immigration solicitors for help. Call us on 0203 959 9123.
If you submit an application for settled status before the 30 June 2021 it does not matter if the Home Office do not decide the application before the 30 June 2021 deadline. However, if you want reassurance about your application, contact us for friendly expert immigration advice.
What happens after the twenty-eight-day period
The UK government has said that after the June 30 deadline, the Home Office will identify those EU nationals who have not applied for settled status giving them twenty-eight days to do so. If the potential settled status applicant still does not apply for settled status, then the Home Office will notify the Department of Work and Pensions and the Inland Revenue. It is said that the two departments will then make a casework decision based on ‘the circumstances of the case’.
Reasonable excuse late settled status applications
Even if you miss the twenty-eight days’ notice you may still be able to apply late if there is a reasonable excuse for the late application. Immigration solicitors caution that there is no guarantee that the Home Office will accept the reasons behind your EU Settlement Scheme late application are reasonable. Therefore, it is best to get your settled status application in before the 30 June 2021 or within the twenty-eight-day warning period.
Where does the settled status deadline leave employers and landlords
The government has said that UK employers and landlords do not need to carry out retrospective right to work checks and right to rent checks on EEA citizens if the individual was in work or renting a residential property before the 30 June 2021.
Any employer or landlord offering a job or residential tenancy after the 30 June 2021 will need to be satisfied that the EU worker or tenant has the right to work and live in the UK.
Confused about settled status?
If you are confused about settled status then you are not on your own. Immigration solicitors report that confusion about the scheme and its purpose is one of the main reasons given by EU nationals failing to apply. Another reason is fear of failure or a concern that you don’t have the right paperwork to secure your settled status .
Expert immigration solicitors can allay many of your settled status and immigration concerns through a quick phone call and can use a same day settled status application service to get your application submitted.
If you are an EU citizen or an EEA or Swiss national who is living in the UK and you haven’t made an application for settled status or pre-settled status then it is best to do so now rather than wait until a twenty-eight-day warning. With expert immigration legal advice your application can be made even if you are concerned about your eligibility or your supporting documentation.
UK Online and London Based Immigration Solicitors
Our expert London based immigration solicitors can answer your EU Settlement Scheme questions and look at your immigration options. For the best advice on settled status call OTS Solicitors on 0203 959 9123 or complete our online enquiry form. Appointments are available through video conference or by telephone.