There is an uncertain destiny for our country at the moment. Many citizens of the European Union living in the United Kingdom are afraid about what will happen to the free movement of people after Brexit and what their situation will be.
We can’t predict the future and tell you what will happen, but our expert immigration solicitors can help you and there are documents you can apply for to prove your right to live in the UK if you are an European Economic Area citizen or from Switzerland. These documents generally depend on the time a person has been living the UK.
REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE
You can apply as a “qualified person” as long as you’re working, self-employed or looking for work. You need to prove that you are qualified, fill in a form. This application can be done online, by post or in person.
As everyone’s situation is different, there are other options: if the qualified person belongs to your close family circle, you might be able to apply as a “family member” or as an “extended family member” if the person is not in your close family.
This application has a cost of around £65.
PERMANENT RESIDENCE BEFORE 5 YEARS
In some circumstances you can get permanent residence situation if you have been living in the UK for less than 5 years but you should always apply for the permanent residence.
The situations might vary, but the minimum requisite is that you have been living in the country for 2 years and have been working here.
To find out more about the different options that you might have you can visit the government’s’ page
PERMANENT RESIDENCE AFTER 5 YEARS
You don’t need a document to get the permanent residence, but you can apply for one if you want to and this might be beneficial to you once Brexit is implemented. That document will allow you to prove that you have the right to permanently live in the country and it will be the first step to opt in for the British citizenship.
For this you need to fill in a form that you can obtain here and follow the procedure and make sure that you tick all the requirements.
If you need professional advise or help with the forms, you can contact our solicitors by calling on 0161 224 3311.