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The UK’s Most Trusted EEA Pre-Settled & Settled Status Consultancy

With over 12 years’ experience and more than 1,000 EEA Presettled & Settled Status approvals secured, we have steadily built First Migration’s reputation as one of the most trusted immigration consultancies in the world. As you can see from our Trustpilot reviews, we have an industry-leading reputation for always securing our European clients’ futures in the UK post-Brexit, while providing our clients with a five-star service.

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Welcome to First Migration’s EEA Pre-Settled & Settled Status Information Centre. 

We have dedicated the past four years to helping our European clients secure their Permanent Residence (now Settled Status) and British naturalisation approvals as we head into a post-Brexit future. Using the knowledge and experience we have obtained during this time, we have created a Pre-Settled & Settled Status Information Centre to provide you with comprehensive information you need to get started. 

We recommend that you bookmark this page, after reading through the information below, to easily find the information page again. Should you want our expert assistance or guidance at any time, call us to speak to one of our EEA Settled Status Experts and have you case assessed for free. Alternatively, request a call-back on this page, and have one of our experts call you instead. 

Get a sense of the five-star service and results we have provided for many of our clients by checking out our reviews on Trustpilot.co.uk. Should you choose First Migration to act as your legal representative, rest assured we will provide a professional service that lives up to our online reputation, and is as simple and stress-free as possible for you. 

Before your first consultation, take the time to read through the information below as we address the most frequently asked questions. We hope to be able to demonstrate our expertise in securing EEA Pre-Settled & Settled Status approvals even before having a conversation with you. We look forward to helping you with the process of securing your future in the UK post-Brexit with either Pre-Settled or Settled Status, and ultimately, your British Citizenship approval.

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Applying for pre-settled and settled status under EU Settlement Scheme.

First Migration can assist all EU nationals in securing their pre-settled and settled status in the United Kingdom.

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you and your family can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021. If your application is successful, you’ll get either settled or pre-settled status. The settles status that is granted is called Indefinite Leave to Remain, and the status will be valid indefinitely as long as you don’t leave the UK for more than 2 years in one go.

The deadline for applying under this scheme is 30th June 2021 (subject to any changes by the UK Government).

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What will it cost to apply for Pre-Settled or Settled Status?

There is no Government fee for applicants under this scheme. Our fee is between £200 and £450 depending on the complexity of your case. Contact us today for a quote.

Who does not need to apply?

You do not need to apply if you have:

  • indefinite leave to enter the UK
  • indefinite leave to remain in the UK
  • British or Irish citizenship (including ‘dual citizenship’)
A picture of Big Ben in London

What is the difference between settled and pre-settled status?

The Ministers have said that EU nationals who have lived in the UK for five years by the end of 2020 will be granted settled status unless they have serious criminal convictions or there is a security reason for why they can’t stay. During those five years, they need to have spent at least six months of each year in the UK. If you haven’t lived in the UK for five years or are unable to provide evidence of your residence in the UK, you might qualify for Pre-Settled status instead. Either way, we would recommend that you register the fact you are resident in the UK with either Pre-Settled or Settled Status before the 30th June 2021 deadline or risk having to leave the UK.

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Naturalisation if you are an EEA national or Swiss National

If you are a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) or are a Swiss national and have lived in the UK for more than the last 5 or 6 years and have been granted EEA Permanent Residence or Settled status. Unless you are married to British national you will need to show you held your PR or settled status for over 12 months before applying for British Citizenship.

In order to qualify, you will need to satisfy the following requirements:

  • You must have applied for and secured an EEA Permanent Residence visa or settled status from the UK Home Office.
  • you must be a member of the European Economic Area and Swiss National
  • you must have lived in the UK for at least the 5 or 6 years before the date of your application
  • you must have spent no more than 450 days in total outside the UK during the last 5 years before the date you apply**
  • you must have spent no more than 90 days in total outside the UK in the last 12 months before applying – having said this, we can still assist our clients in securing British Citizenship if they have been outside the UK for 100 days or less**
  • you must have had permanent residence or settled status in the UK for no less than the last 12 months
  • you must have not broken any immigration laws while in the UK
  • you’ve met the knowledge of English and life in the UK requirements

**Please note that UKVI offers discretion on the time outside the UK requirement so please contact us for more information. We have years of experience in dealing with both straight forward and very complicated naturalisation applications. We are exceptionally proud of our near-perfect record of approval since 2007 in assisting over 4,000+ clients in securing their British Citizenship approvals.

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Family members of EEA nationals resident in the UK

All family members will need to apply individually, although parents or guardians will need to complete the applications on behalf of children in their care. Children under the age of 21 of parents with Settled Status, will be eligible for Settled Status upon application, even if they have lived in the UK for less than five years. A full application is required, but if parents have proof of their continuous residence, it will be presumed that dependent children will have this too. This also applies to children who arrive in the UK after 31 December 2020.

Applications for looked after children will be submitted by the authorities in whose care they are placed.

Children born in the UK with one parent who is already a UK citizen, or has Permanent Residence or Settled Status when they were born, are British citizens by birth and do not need to be naturalised or registered as British. Some exceptions may apply to this, and you should speak to one of our British Citizenship Experts if you are not sure whether your child was born British or is required to be registered as British first. 

An image of the Big Ben Clock near the water

How can First Migration help you in securing your settled and pre-settled status?

Since Brexit looked possible, we have been assisting our European clients in securing their future in the UK through securing either Settled Status, if possible, or Pre-Settled Status at the very least. Contrary to the media scare stories about European nationals residing in the UK being forced to leave the UK, the UK government has implemented a digital registration process to ensure this does not happen post-Brexit. Why not contact our Settled Status Experts today so we can guide you through the registration process. We can assess your situation very easily and recommend the best course of action should you want to secure Permanent Residence (Settled Status), and ultimately, become a British citizen. Simply give us call or request a call back using the form on this page, and one of our EEA Visa Experts will call you back instead.

European Union British passport

Your path to British Citizenship after you secure your Settled Status

The only true way of securing your future on the UK is to by applying for naturalisation obtaining British citizenship. As a European national resident in the UK before 31st December 2020, your path to do this will be as follows:

  • You will need to apply for and obtain Pre-Settled Status at the earliest opportunity to register the fact you are resident in the UK.
  • After five years of holding Pre-Settled Status while resident in the UK (without leaving the UK for more than 180 days in any given 12-month period), you will be able to apply for Settled Status (also known as Indefinite Leave to Remain or ILR).
  • Once you have secured Settled Status in the UK, you will have to continue to be resident in the UK for a minimum of 12-months before you are eligible to apply for British citizenship via a naturalisation application.
  • Should you be married to a British national, we are pleased to confirm that you may be eligible to apply for British citizenship without waiting for 12-months subject to your ability to satisfy the three-year citizenship rules.
  • For more information about British citizenship, click here to read our British Citizenship Information Centre page.

Always remember that once you have secured Settled Status (Indefinite Leave to Remain) in the UK, should you leave the UK for more than 2 years in one trip, or if the UK government can establish you are not living in the UK permanently, you can lose your Settled Status. It is for this reason that we recommend all our European clients consider working towards securing their British citizenship if their home-country permits them to be a dual-national. Once you become a British citizen, you will have the right to live and work in the UK for the rest of your life and can spend as much time as you wish to live overseas.  

Visa Services

Our British Citizenship services are tailored to your needs, so you can choose the price you want to pay, for the service you require. 

For access to our knowledge & experience, we offer consultation services. If you want to be cost-effective and secure your naturalisation approval by yourself, consider our Expert Checking Services. For an extra fee, we’ll even provide our Expert Document List & bespoke templates to save you time.

If you want a guaranteed approval though, you are looking for our Full Representation Services. With this service, you are allocated your own dedicated British Citizenship Expert to manage the entire process, with a no-win, no-fee guarantee. Whichever service you choose with First Migration, expect a professional and stress-free service. 

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Telephone/Zoom/Skype Consultation

Gain access to one of our UK Citizenship Experts through a telephone/Skype call or an in-person meeting at our Central London office. All your questions will be answered, and we will tell you everything you need to know about your naturalisation application.

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Expert Checking Service

Are you preparing your own naturalisation application and want it thoroughly checked by a UK Citizenship Expert? Then consider our Expert Checking Service to ensure your application will be successful – we will recommend all changes/improvements needed.

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Full Consultancy Service

The easiest and most stress-free way of securing your UK Spouse Visa approval.

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Priority Consultancy Service

This service is best for our Full Representation Service clients who want the fastest preparation and submission time possible. We will prepare and submit your application within 48 working hours of receiving the supporting documents requested.

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