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Pre-settled to settled status: what happens and when

Pre-settled status is 5 years of limited leave. GOV.UK says it is usually extended by 5 years before it expires and may be converted to settled status automatically, or you can apply once you have 5 years of continuous residence. There is no application fee.

Pre-settled status is the lower of the two outcomes of the EU Settlement Scheme. Under Appendix EU it is five years' limited leave, given to an applicant who has not yet completed five years of continuous residence. Settled status is indefinite leave. The route from one to the other is one of the main questions for the people who hold pre-settled status, and the position has been changing.

This guide explains how the move works under GOV.UK's guidance and Appendix EU: the automatic extension, the automatic conversion, the option to apply yourself, the residence test and the absences the Home Office will accept, what happens if you are not converted, and the points about rights and citizenship that change with the status. Sources are GOV.UK's EU Settlement Scheme page (updated 8 October 2026), Appendix EU (updated 8 October 2026) and the explanatory memoranda to HC 584 and HC 259, read on 10 October 2026.

It explains how the rules work. It cannot say whether you have the residence needed, because that depends on your own dates and records.

What pre-settled status is

Under paragraph EU3 of Appendix EU, an applicant who does not meet the requirements for indefinite leave but meets those for limited leave is granted "five years' limited leave". For most people the reason is simple: they had not yet completed five years of continuous residence when they applied. GOV.UK says you get settled status "usually where you've lived in the UK for a continuous 5-year period" and otherwise pre-settled status.

With either status you can work in the UK, use the NHS where you are eligible, enrol in education or study, access public funds such as benefits and pensions if you are eligible, and travel in and out of the UK. The difference is permanence. Settled status gives the right to live in the UK permanently and is easier to prove. Pre-settled status is time-limited and has conditions.

What happens at the end of the five years is the question many holders have, and the answer has several parts.

The three ways pre-settled status becomes settled status

GOV.UK sets out the process in stages.

1. The extension. GOV.UK says: "Your pre-settled status will be extended by 5 years before it's due to expire. You'll be sent an email telling you when this happens." Appendix EU reflects this in EU4(b): "The Secretary of State may extend that limited leave, regardless of whether the person has made a valid application under this Appendix for such an extension". You do not apply to extend. The Home Office "may cancel the extension if they think you no longer meet the requirements".

2. Automatic conversion. GOV.UK says: "After your pre-settled status has been extended, it may be automatically converted to settled status." Appendix EU EU4(d) allows indefinite leave to be granted "without a valid application under this Appendix having been made" where the Secretary of State is satisfied the requirements are otherwise met. GOV.UK says you will get an email from the Home Office telling you if they are considering it, then another to say whether you have been converted. If you are moved automatically you get a letter by email confirming settled status, and "you can stay in the UK as long as you like".

3. Your own application. GOV.UK says "you can apply for settled status as soon as you're eligible instead of waiting to be moved automatically". There is no application fee. It means applying again to the scheme and proving that you meet the requirements: identity, continuous residence and, if your status was based on a family relationship, that relationship. You can use the same types of evidence as for the pre-settled application. If your identity document or personal details have changed you must update your UKVI account first. Importantly, GOV.UK says: "Do not apply if you've had an email confirming you're being considered for conversion from pre-settled status to settled status automatically."

The deadline of 30 June 2021 does not apply to someone who already has pre-settled status and is applying for settled status. Since the decision on applying early or waiting depends on personal circumstances, it is a question for the individual.

The test: five years of continuous residence

GOV.UK says you will "usually be eligible for settled status once you've lived in the UK for 5 years in a row". The detail is in Appendix EU, where a "continuous qualifying period" means a period of residence during which none of the following occurred: "absence(s) from the UK and Islands which exceeded a total of six months in any 12-month period", except for listed cases.

GOV.UK puts the conversion test in these terms. You may be eligible as long as you have not been outside the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for more than either:

  • 30 months (2.5 years) in the last 5 years; or
  • 6 months in any 12-month period within any 5-year period, with some exceptions where you can be outside for more than 6 months.

The exceptions are in Appendix EU and on GOV.UK's page for first applicants. They include:

  • one period of up to 12 months for an important reason, such as childbirth, serious illness, study, vocational training, an overseas work posting or COVID-19;
  • compulsory military service of any length;
  • time spent abroad as a Crown servant or armed forces member, or as their family member; and
  • working in the UK marine area.

The Appendix text goes further, including how a second long absence and COVID-19 absences are treated. The details of a given person's absences are exactly the kind of fact a regulated adviser would work through.

Worked example of how the rule reads. Someone who spent seven months abroad caring for a relative in one 12-month period has been absent for more than six months in that period. The rule says that is a break unless the absence was a single period of up to 12 months for an important reason. Whether caring for a relative counts, and what evidence shows the dates, is for the decision maker. The example only shows that the six-month limit applies per 12-month window, not per calendar year.

How the Home Office checks

GOV.UK says "The Home Office can access travel information and will use your National Insurance number to check records of your tax or certain benefits to see if you meet the continuous residence requirements."

If the Home Office does not have enough information to confirm you are eligible, GOV.UK says "they'll contact you and tell you what to do". This is why the guidance asks you to keep your UKVI account details up to date, including a new passport.

If you apply yourself, you supply the same kinds of evidence as for your first application. The Home Office's checks are a reason the automatic route can work without any action, but they are also a reason it can pause: if the records do not show enough, the conversion does not happen. In that case:

  • GOV.UK says you "keep your pre-settled status";
  • the Home Office "could cancel it later if you no longer meet the requirements"; and
  • you can still apply for settled status yourself, with your own evidence.

If you apply for settled status and the decision goes against you, GOV.UK points to appealing to an independent tribunal.

Can pre-settled status be taken away?

GOV.UK says that with pre-settled status you "must maintain your continuous residence in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. If you do not do this, the Home Office may cancel your pre-settled status." You lose it automatically if you spend more than 5 years in a row outside those places.

The explanatory memorandum to HC 584 (3 September 2026) says that, consistent with the Withdrawal Agreement, "pre-settled status (PSS) granted under the EUSS may be removed where the holder no longer meets the eligibility requirements of the EUSS and it is proportionate to remove their PSS on that basis". It then says the changes will let a small number of holders who no longer meet the requirements, for example because of a sudden change in family circumstances, but where it is not proportionate to remove their status, stay in scope and "qualify for settled status in due course".

One further group is addressed. Following the Court of Appeal's decision in Ayoola (28 November 2025), a child who holds pre-settled status and whose EU citizen parent was formerly a worker or self-employed person in the UK keeps that status until their education is completed, and the primary carer can obtain or retain it. Separately, HC 259 (9 July 2026) confirmed that where a family member of a qualifying British citizen's pre-settled status has been varied into another permission, the person can still apply for settled status before that permission expires, or later with reasonable grounds.

These are legal changes to Appendix EU. Whether any applies to a particular person is a question for an adviser.

Rights you may have without applying

GOV.UK says you can have the right to live in the UK permanently even if you have not applied for settled status, if you can provide evidence that:

  • you have pre-settled status;
  • you are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and started living in the UK by 31 December 2020 (or you are their family member); and
  • you have spent 5 years in the UK and in that time you have been working (or looking for work for up to 3 months), studying or self-sufficient.

GOV.UK adds that settled status makes this "easier to prove". Form AN's guidance for citizenship applicants refers to the same idea as "a Withdrawal Agreement right to reside in the UK permanently on the basis of qualifying activity", and says people relying on it still need to evidence lawful residence throughout the period. It also says such people would previously have been granted limited leave under the EUSS.

Two practical points follow from this. A right to reside permanently and a document proving it are not the same thing. And the test for that right looks at what you did (working, studying, self-sufficiency) rather than only at where you lived, which is a different kind of evidence from the conversion test above.

After settled status: absences, family and citizenship

Absences. GOV.UK says that with settled status you can spend up to 5 years in a row outside the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man without losing it, and up to 5 more years if you enter the UK for any amount of time during that period. For Swiss citizens and their family members the figure is 4 years. This is longer than the 2-year absence limit for ordinary indefinite leave that GOV.UK mentions.

Children. GOV.UK says that if you get settled status, children born in the UK while you are living here "will automatically be British citizens". If you get pre-settled status, a child born in the UK is eligible for pre-settled status and is British only if they qualify through their other parent. Our guide on whether a UK-born child is British explains the registration route that may open when a parent later gains settled status.

Citizenship. GOV.UK says: "You can usually apply for British citizenship once you've had settled status for 12 months." Settled status under the EUSS counts as the kind of leave that satisfies the freedom-from-time-limits requirement in the Form AN guidance. You must still meet the other requirements. The Form AN guide says people with EUSS settled status do not have to have met the English language and Life in the UK requirements to get it, so they must meet them before applying to naturalise.

GOV.UK also describes a route to citizenship for some pre-settled status holders without settled status: from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, living in the UK by 31 December 2020, with 5 years in a row of work, study or self-sufficiency. See our guide to Form AN for the process.

Finding a regulated adviser

Whether a person's absences fit the rule, which evidence to send and whether to wait for conversion are questions about a particular case. Only an IAA-registered adviser (Immigration Advice Authority, formerly the OISC), a solicitor or another authorised person may give advice on them. GOV.UK explains how to find an immigration adviser.

The Migratio directory lists IAA-registered advisers (with their level) and SRA-regulated solicitors, each with their regulator and registration number. Migratio is not regulated by the IAA or the SRA and does not give immigration advice. This page explains how the rules work; it does not tell you what to do in your case.

Questions people ask

Does pre-settled status turn into settled status automatically?

It may. GOV.UK says pre-settled status is extended by 5 years before it expires, and that once extended it may be automatically converted to settled status if you are eligible. The Home Office emails you when it is considering conversion and again with the outcome.

When can I apply for settled status if I have pre-settled status?

As soon as you are eligible, according to GOV.UK. That usually means 5 years of continuous residence. There is no application fee. GOV.UK says not to apply if you have had an email saying you are being considered for automatic conversion.

How many months can I be abroad and still convert?

GOV.UK says no more than 30 months in the last 5 years, or no more than 6 months in any 12-month period within the 5 years, with exceptions such as one absence of up to 12 months for an important reason like childbirth, illness, study or an overseas posting.

What happens if I am not moved to settled status automatically?

GOV.UK says you keep your pre-settled status, although the Home Office could cancel it later if you no longer meet the requirements. You can apply for settled status yourself with your own evidence of residence.

Can pre-settled status be taken away?

It can be cancelled if you do not maintain continuous residence, and is lost automatically after more than 5 years in a row abroad. HC 584 also says it may be removed where you no longer meet the eligibility requirements and removal is proportionate.

When can I apply for citizenship with settled status?

GOV.UK says you can usually apply for British citizenship once you have had settled status for 12 months. You will also need to meet the English language, Life in the UK and good character requirements.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-10.

Related guides

  • EU Settlement Scheme late applications: how the rules work — The deadline for most people to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme was 30 June 2021, but a later application is still possible if your deadline is later or you have reasonable grounds for the delay. The application costs nothing, and a certificate of application protects your rights while it is decided.
  • Is my UK-born child British? Form MN1 explained — A child born in the UK is automatically British if, at the birth, a parent is a British citizen or settled in the UK. Otherwise the child may be entitled to register on Form MN1 for £1,000 once a parent becomes settled or British.
  • Form AN: applying for British naturalisation step by step — Form AN is the paper form for naturalisation as a British citizen; most people apply online. GOV.UK gives the cost as £1,839 (£1,709 plus a £130 ceremony fee), with a decision usually within 6 months and an optional £500 priority service.
  • When you can apply for citizenship after ILR — Under section 6(1) of the British Nationality Act 1981, most people must have held indefinite leave to remain for 12 months and have lived in the UK for 5 years, been in the UK on the exact day five years before the Home Office receives the application, and not been outside it for more than 450 days in the 5 years or 90 days in the last 12 months. People married to a British citizen use a different route.
  • ILR absences: the 180-day rule explained — For most routes to indefinite leave to remain, the Rules say you must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period, counted on a rolling basis for permission granted since 11 January 2018. A short list of absences does not count, and time on long residence before 11 April 2024 follows older limits.
  • ILR fee in 2026: £3,226 per person and extras — Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) costs £3,226 for each person applying, and the Home Office fee table of 8 October 2026 shows no change from the current fee. Most applicants aged 18 to 64 also pay £50 for the Life in the UK Test, and can pay £500 or £1,000 more per person for a faster decision where the application type allows it. There is no health surcharge for ILR.
  • How to check a UK immigration adviser is registered — In the UK only a "qualified person" may give immigration advice: an IAA-registered adviser, a solicitor, barrister or chartered legal executive, or someone working under their supervision. Ask for the regulator and registration number, then check it yourself on the IAA Adviser Register or the SRA Solicitors Register.