EU Settlement Scheme Continuous Residence

How to prove that a break in continuous residence was due to COVID-19

If you have been absent from the UK due to COVID-19, or another important reason, then you will be required to provide evidence of this (in addition to the other evidence required for an EUSS application). You will be required to provide evidence of the length of, and reason for, any absence relating to coronavirus that you wish to rely on. Examples of acceptable evidence include (but are not limited to):

• Used travel tickets confirming the dates you left the UK and returned;

• Confirmation of flight cancellations detailing the dates and times;

• A  doctor’s letter confirming you contracted coronavirus;

• A  doctor’s letter confirming you were identified as vulnerable and advised to shield;

• An email or letter confirming you, or a person you were living with, received a positive coronavirus test result;

• An official letter confirming you were in coronavirus quarantine;

• A  doctor’s letter confirming your family member, who you have been caring for, contracted coronavirus or was identified as vulnerable and advised to shield;

• An email or letter confirming your family member, who you have been caring for, received a positive coronavirus test result;

• A letter from a university advising you that, due to coronavirus, your course was moved to remote learning and you were advised or allowed to return to your home country to study remotely;

• A letter from a university or employer advising you not to return to the UK, and to continue studying or working remotely from your home country, due to coronavirus;

• A letter or other evidence from you accounting for your absence for another reason relating to coronavirus, for example, you left or remained outside the UK because there were fewer coronavirus restrictions elsewhere; you preferred to work or run a business from home overseas; or you would have been unemployed in the UK and preferred to rely on support from family or friends overseas.

If you are absent from the UK for more than 12 months then this will not be counted towards your continuous qualifying period or residence under the EU Settlement Scheme. In these cases your continuous qualifying period will be paused and will resume when you return to the UK. If you hold pre-settled status and this is set to expire before you can complete the 5 years continuous residence requirement for settled status then you will be able to apply for a further grant of pre-settled status to allow you to accrue the required ‘continuous’ qualifying period. 

How do you prove continuous residence in the UK?

When you apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, you will be required to provide evidence to prove that you meet the continuous residence requirement. The Home Office has published a list of ‘acceptable’ pieces of evidence which can be used to demonstrate your continuous residence in the UK.

Evidence which covers a longer period of time:

• Annual bank statement or account summary, showing 6 months of payments received or spending in the UK in a 12-month period;

• A dated and signed employer letter confirming the duration of a period of UK based employment undertaken and evidence that the employer is genuine, for example, their Companies House number;

• A dated and addressed council tax bill;

• A letter or certificate from your school, college, university or other accredited educational or training organisation showing the dates you enrolled, attended and completed your course;

• An invoice for fees from your school, college, university or other accredited educational or training organisation and evidence of payment;

• A document showing a UK address from a student finance body in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland or from the Student Loans Company;

• A residential mortgage statement or rental agreement and evidence of payment;

• A dated and signed letter from a registered care home confirming your residence there;

• Employer pension contributions;

• Annual business account of a self-employed person;

•  A P60 for a 12-month period – your P60 shows the tax you’ve paid on your salary in the tax year (6 April to 5 April). We may ask you for additional evidence to confirm that you were resident here for at least 6 months of that period;

• A P45 showing the length of your previous employment. You should get a P45 from your employer when you stop working for them.

Evidence which covers a shorter period of time:

These documents count as evidence for one month if they have a single date on them. They can be used to cover a longer period of time if they have a start and end date covering longer than a month.

• A bank statement showing payments received or spending in the UK;

• A payslip for a UK-based job;

• A water, gas or electricity bill showing a UK address;

• A landline or mobile telephone, TV or internet bill showing a UK address;

• A domestic bill, such as for home repairs, vet’s services or insurance, and evidence of payment;

• A card or letter from your GP, hospital, or other healthcare professional confirming appointments you have made or attended;

• A letter from a government department, public service or charity that show you dealt with them on a particular date or for a particular period (for example Job Centre Plus or Citizens Advice);

• A passport stamp confirming entry at the UK border;

• A used travel ticket confirming you entered the UK from another country;

• An invoice for work you have done in the UK and evidence of payment.

When proving your continuous residence in the UK for the EUSS, it is best to provide evidence which covers a longer period of time.

How Paragon Law can help?

Since the introduction of the EU Settlement Scheme, our immigration lawyers have been dedicated to assisting EU nationals and their families to apply to the EUSS. In addition to this, our immigration lawyers have supported businesses and universities to ensure that their EU employees have made timely applications to the scheme. As a result, our immigration lawyers have developed extensive expertise in EUSS applications, making us a reliable law firm for anyone seeking assistance with the scheme.