Are you a child or young person without British citizenship? Here’s some advice on how to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme

April 7th 2021

Who needs to apply?

Children and young people, including care leavers, must apply to the EU Settlement Scheme if they are an EU, EEA, or Swiss national. You don’t need to apply if you are from Ireland.

When is the deadline?

The deadline for applying is 30 June 2021. 

What happens after I apply?

You should be given settled status if you have lived in the UK for 5 years or more by 31 December 2020. If you have lived in the UK for less than 5 years you can apply for pre-settled status. Pre-settled status allows you to stay in the UK for up to 5 years and then you can apply for settled status once you’ve been here for 5 years, including the time before you applied.

What happens if I don’t apply?

You need to apply to keep living in the UK and accessing services, including benefits and the NHS.

From 1 July, you’ll need settled or pre-settled status to:

  • stay in the UK for more than 3 months
  • work or study
  • vote
  • use the NHS
  • claim benefits
  • rent a home or get help with housing from your council

How much does it cost?

It does not cost anything to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. The whole process is free. 

How to apply

You can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme onlineYou can apply using any device, for example, a laptop, Android device or iPhone.

Apply to the EU settlement scheme

Who can help with my application?

If you need help with the application process then these organisations can help:

Citizens Rights Project
Citizens Advice Scotland – call the free, confidential and impartial EU Citizens Support Service helpline on 0800 916 9847.  

*Note – Clan Childlaw’s lawyers cannot help with applications to the EU Settlement scheme.