Brexit has changed the way EU and EEA nationals can live and work in the UK. If you’re an EU or EEA national, you’ll need to apply for UK immigration status to stay in the UK after 31 December 2020. Our immigration solicitors deal with all aspects of UK immigration law. We can help you and your family apply for the correct status to enter into, or remain in the UK.

If you’re already living in the UK by 31 December 2020 and want to stay indefinitely, you’ll need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. If you want to come to the UK for a shorter period of time after Brexit, you’ll need a visa that suits your situation.

Our team of highly specialised immigration lawyers can help you with applications to the EU Settlement Scheme. We also advise on visa applications if you plan to come the UK to work, study or start a business after Brexit.

Contact our immigration lawyers today on 0370 1500 100 to discuss how we can help you and your family.

What Is The EU Settlement Scheme?

The Home Office introduced the EU Settlement Scheme as a way for EU and EEA nationals to hold lawful immigration status in the UK after Brexit. The scheme will classify your immigration status as either ‘settled’ or ‘pre-settled’.

You’ll get settled status if you’ve been living in the UK continuously for five years. If you’ve lived in the UK for less than five years you get pre-settled status which will last for five years. Once you’ve lived in the UK continuously for five years you can apply for settled status.

Settled and pre-settled status will allow you and your family to live and work freely in the UK. You can also leave and enter the UK as you please. After 12 months with settled status (six continuous years of living in the UK) you can then apply for naturalisation to become a British citizen.

What About My Family?

Under UK Immigration Rules, family members of an EU or EEA national are considered to be a:

• Spouse or civil partner
• Child or grandchild of you and/or your spouse or civil partner, if they’re under 21 or financially dependent on you
• Parent or grandparent of you or your spouse or civil partner who’s financially dependent on you.

If your family are already with you in the UK, they can apply to the Settlement Scheme at the same time.

If your family is still abroad they can still join you in the UK after Brexit. If you’re married or in a civil partnership, you’ll need to prove that your relationship is genuine for your spouse or partner to join you.

For unmarried partners of EU and EEA nationals, they would also be able to join you in the UK before 1 January 2021. You’ll also need to prove your relationship is genuine.

Once they’re in the UK, they’ll need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

What If I Don’t Want To Settle Permanently In The UK?

If you don’t want to live permanently in the UK then you don’t have to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. There are other visa options for you depending on your situation. We can help you apply for a visa to:

• Invest or start a business
• Conduct a business trip or attend a conference
• Work, temporarily or long-term
• Study or research
• Get private medical treatment
• Take a short visit.

We can advise on what would best suit your needs and circumstances whether that’s a student visa, a work visa or a business visitor’s visa.

Can You Help Businesses Or Business Owners With EU Or EEA Immigration Issues?

Yes. We can help EU and EEA nationals who are:

• Running a business in the UK
• Planning to open a business in the UK
• Needing to visit the UK for business.

We can also help UK businesses that employ EU or EEA nationals in the UK.

We’re experts at dealing business immigration issues. Our lawyers can help you apply for a Tier 2 visa so you can continue to employ EU or EEA nationals in the UK. If you need to come to the UK continuously for business, we can also assist with a Business Visitor’s visa.

We know that Brexit is causing a lot of concern for businesses across the UK. We can give you commercial advice that will suit your business needs. We can also assist with recruitment and HR policies that will enable you to continue employing the best talent from outside the UK going forward. If your staff need support with their own visas, we can also assist.

Contact our team today to see how we can help, call us on 0370 1500 100 to discuss your business needs.

How Long Does EU Settlement Scheme Applications Take?

As the end of transition period is approaching, there are more and more EU and EEA nationals applying. It currently takes the Home Office 1 – 2 months to process an application but this could increase as the deadline comes closer.

While your application is in progress you don’t have to worry about if you can stay in the UK or not. As an EU or EEA national you’re free to stay in the UK during your application under EU freedom of movement law.

We deal with many visa applications for EU nationals and their family members. We work efficiently to get your application done as quickly as possible. If your application is refused by the Home Office, we’re also experienced in dealing with appeals to the Immigration Tribunal.

How Much Does It Cost?

We charge a fixed fee for our services to help with EU Settlement Scheme applications:

• £1000 per applicant for Pre-Settled Status
• £1300 per applicant for Settled Status
• £1500 for a couple applying at the same time
• £500 for each child applying at the same time as parents.

Please note that the fees quoted above exclude VAT. They also exclude "disbursements", which are fees that are payable to a third party (such as visa application fees).

Why Choose Us?

We can work with you and your family to secure your immigration status so you can live freely in the UK. Whether you’re in the UK already or are planning to move here, we can advise on what options are best for you.

It can be daunting to put together an application yourself – especially when the outcome will affect your entire life. Our lawyers can help you put your application together step by step. We’ll also answer any questions you have without any legal jargon, so you’ll always know what’s going on. If your application for a visa is refused, we can also investigate and appeal the refusal decision for you.

Immigration issues can be extremely personal and can involve family, employment and wealth across different countries. As a full service law firm, we have specialists across our firm that can advise on any concerns you have. You won’t have to shop around at different law firms for advice, instead our team will be there to plan for a long-term strategy that’ll secure your status in the UK.

For a private talk about your situation, contact us today on 0370 1500 100 or contact us online and we’ll call you back.