Staying in the UK after Brexit Staying in the UK after Brexit? Check if you need to apply You usually need to apply to stay in the UK if you’re from: a country in the EU, EEA or Switzerland another country and you have a family member who is from the EU, EEA or Switzerland The EEA includes EU countries and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Check when you should apply by It is worth applying to stay in the UK now. After the UK leaves the EU you might be asked to prove your right to do things like get a job or use the NHS. You’ll be able to do this by showing you have ‘pre-settled status’ or ‘settled status’ or British citizenship. You should apply by 31 December 2020 – your rights could change after that date. Getting your status will prove your right to: stay in the UK for more than 3 months work study use the NHS claim the State Pension rent a home If the UK leaves the EU with no deal You’ll only be able to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme if you were already living in the UK before 31 October 2019. If you arrive in the UK after 31 October 2019, you can stay for 3 months. If you want to stay longer, you’ll need to apply for European temporary leave to remain. The government will announce more details about this scheme if the UK leaves the EU without an agreement. Check what you need to apply for What you need to apply for depends on how long you’ve lived in the UK and if you’ve applied to stay in the UK before. If you’ve lived in the UK for less than 5 years You should apply to the EU Settlement Scheme for pre-settled status. You only need to prove you’ve lived in the UK for 1 day in the last 6 months to get it. If you get pre-settled status, you can live and work in the UK for up to 5 years. You can spend up to 2 years outside the UK without losing your status. You can then apply for settled status when you’ve lived in the UK for a total of 5 years. This includes time before you got pre-settled status. However, you must live in the UK for 6 months out of every year if you want to apply for settled status later. Find out more about what you need to apply for pre-settled status. If you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years or more You should apply to the EU Settlement Scheme for settled status. You can also apply for British citizenship. If you get settled status, you can: live and work in the UK for as long as you like live outside the UK for up to 5 years in a row without losing your status – 4 years if you’re Swiss apply for British citizenship 12 months after you get settled status bring your family to live in the UK Find out what you need to apply for settled status. You’ll have more rights if you become a British citizen but you might have to give up your current nationality. You have to pay to apply for British citizenship. Decide if British citizenship is right for you.