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