Five years on from the EU Settlement Scheme deadline, many people who were granted pre-settled status will now have built up the five years of residence needed to apply for settled status. But if you’ve spent extended periods outside the UK since then, it isn’t always easy to work out whether you still qualify under the absence rules.
In our latest Information Session, an immigration lawyer talked us through exactly this: how to apply for settled status if you’ve spent significant time outside the UK since being granted pre-settled status.
The session covered:
- Who is still eligible to apply for settled status
- What “continuous qualifying residence” means and how it’s calculated
- When the best time to apply is
- How to demonstrate continuous residence despite absences
- What evidence you should submit
Our Information Sessions run every month on Facebook, each one covering a topic relevant to EU citizens in the UK and the EU Settlement Scheme. They’re delivered by an immigration lawyer, and you can put your questions to them directly during the session.
If you are looking for information about the rules for travelling in-and-out of the UK, you can now watch and re-watch the session on our YouTube channel.
To watch and ask any questions live, join the next Information session in September 2026 on our Facebook page. The event will be on our Facebook page EU in the UK.
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