European Union (EU) Settled Status Scheme - I haven't applied for the EU Settlement Scheme
The EU Settled Status Scheme is the part of the UK immigration system under which EEA citizens and their family members can obtain the right to continue to live in the UK, following the UK leaving the European Union.
- Last reviewed 08 October 2025
I haven't applied for the EU Settlement Scheme
I am an EEA national living in the UK since before the end of 2020 and I have not yet applied to the EU Settlement Scheme. What does this mean for my benefit entitlement?
You need to get urgent immigration advice about making an application to the EU Settlement Scheme. The general deadline to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme was 30 June 2021, but applications made after this date can be accepted as valid if the Home Office accept you have 'reasonable grounds' for not having applied until now.
Until you have made a valid application to the EU Settlement Scheme you will be excluded from most benefits. This is because, as someone who requires leave and does not have it, you are defined as a ‘person subject to immigration control’.
Once you have made a valid application to the EU Settlement Scheme for settled or pre-settled status, you are no longer a ‘person subject to immigration control’. You can access benefits under the rules for people who have made an application and are waiting for a decision.
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