EU Settlement Scheme: can you still apply after the deadline?

The EU Settlement Scheme — the programme through which EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members secure their right to live in the UK after Brexit — closed for most people on 30 June 2021. That does not mean you can no longer apply.

Who can apply late?

Applications are still accepted after the deadline if you have reasonable grounds for being late. The Home Office decides whether to accept your reason. If your own deadline falls after the general one — for example, you recently arrived as the family member of someone who already has status — you can apply in the normal way.

Pre‑settled versus settled status

Your status depends on how long you have lived in the UK. Pre‑settled status is granted to people who have lived here for less than five years. Settled status is for those with five years of continuous residence, and it lets you stay indefinitely.

What about extending pre‑settled status?

Pre‑settled status used to have to be upgraded manually. Now, if your pre‑settled status is coming to an end, it is automatically extended by five years and you are emailed about it. Where you have built up enough residence, the system may convert your status to settled automatically, or you can apply for it yourself.

What does it cost?

Applying is free. Your status is held digitally — there is no physical card, and you prove it to an employer, a landlord or at the border through an online service and a one‑time code. The quickest way to check your rights and conditions is the scheme's page on gov.uk.

How do you prove your status?

Your status is held digitally in your UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) account. To show it to an employer, a landlord or the border, you generate a one‑time code through the online service and give it with your date of birth. There is no plastic card.

If you have pre‑settled status and have built up five years of continuous residence, check that the system has moved you to settled status, or apply for it yourself: settled status lets you stay indefinitely and makes it easier to apply for citizenship later. The easiest way to check your status and its conditions is in your UKVI account and on the scheme's page on gov.uk. Continuity of residence matters: long absences from the UK can affect your rights.