Whats happening with Citizenship for EEA citizens?

With the updated Citizenship rules from May 2020, it became more difficult for EEA citizens to secure British Citizenship. On the one hand, it is still easy - in most cases - to secure a settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. Even in case of only getting a pre-settled status, there is still an option to gain a full settled status later. And if you disagree with ‘only’ a pre-settled status, there is a process to challenge it if you believe you qualify for full settlement instead. So far, so relatively easy, as was promised by the Government.

The next logical step is becoming British, so how come it ended up being less straightforward? Well, the above settled status is issued automatically in most cases (not in all but in many). Broadly, it is based on being in the UK for 5 years. With Citizenship, however, the qualifying period of 5 years of being what the EU law calls 'a qualified person’. It means continuously, during 5 years, working, running a business, studying or being self-sufficient.

For some of you it may sound like an old EEA(PR) application - and it's exactly that! One common example is breaks a break between jobs. But the most common is health insurance for students and self-sufficient EEA citizens. This ‘problem’ is especially common for European students, who needs such insurance when you can use the NHS? However, when it comes to the settlement application, the UK authorities examine all activities, strictly applying the EU law.

These strict requirements were abolished with introduction of EU Settlement Scheme - but remained for Citizenship. And the new policy from May 2020 reinforced it. As a result, a Citizenship application became a combination of Citizenship and the old EEA(PR).

It gets more interesting: when to apply?
- If you still have an old EEA(PR) document, you can usually apply after 6 years in the UK, this point might have been a few years back, and you can apply now.
- If you only have a settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme - you need 1 year after it’s been issued, however long you have lived in the UK.
- If you have both - you can choose which one to use.


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