For Europeans who want to move or settle in the UK, it is important to know that after Brexit, UK immigration laws will be different for EU citizens.
If you are an EU citizen and want to live, work and access public services in the UK, you need to either apply for a UK visa or the EU Settlement Scheme. The UK government will ask for Proof of Status from both EU immigrants and foreigners when traveling at the border or receiving public services. It is also required for employers and landlords.
Who is an EU national?
You identify as an EU National if you are a citizen of one of the 27 countries that are in the EU. The countries within the union are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland , Italy , Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. There is also Iceland and Norway who have the same rights as EEA members.
All EU citizens can visit the UK subject to immigration laws, even if they are planning on staying for just a short period. Following Brexit, these laws will apply regardless of their expected length of stay.
The UK government had set a window for European Union citizens who had been living in the country for more than 5 years to apply for status before 30 June 2021.
However, those who are eligible for pre-settled Status may submit their application to the Home Office even if they missed the deadline of 10 September 2021. For those residing in a region within the EU and wishes to apply for pre-settled Status, additional changes have been introduced to account for timings. There are also new changes that apply to those who want to join family members.
Applicants can now apply for Status under the EUSS if they are either visitors or family members of someone who is already in the UK.
Otherwise, an EU citizen must apply for leave to enter the UK when they visit depending on the reason for their trip. This can be done using one of the categories, such as:
- Frontier Worker Permit holder
- The visitor (there is currently no need to apply for a visa to come in as a visitor for six months}
- Student
- Graduate visa for students traveling to the UK for employment
- Skilled Worker
- T5 Temporary Work
- Intra-Company Transfer Immigration Status
- Start-Up status/ innovator
- Global Talent status
- Marriage
- Fiancé (e)
Find out which of the above immigration status types is best suited to you by speaking with a UK Immigration lawyer! There are numerous options available for EU nationals who want to migrate or move to the UK. However, not all these options may be suitable for you, as each country has its own preferences and requirements. Consult a UK Immigration lawyer if you are unsure of which type of immigration status is best for your situation.
Guide to View & Prove Your UK Immigration Status
Immigration applications in the UK are channeled to the Home Office. Once your application is reviewed, you will receive a decision letter request outcome. An approval from the Home Office means that your immigration status has been approved. Otherwise, you can appeal, reapply or stay in your home country.
It's easy to mistakenly confuse an immigration application with proof of your immigration status. Having an accepted immigration application is no guarantee that your prospective landlord, employer, or service providers will believe you are a legally recognized immigrant.
People living in the EU, EEA or Switzerland can prove their immigration rights by using physical documents like Biometric Residence Permits or Biometric Residence Cards, or by proving it digitally through the View and Prove service.
How Do I Use the View and Prove Service?
UKVI offers a tool to help check the authenticity of immigration documents, by using your personal information. You can sign into View and Prove Service with your mobile phone, tablet or laptop, and it will then confirm your identity. Just enter the document number, date of birth and email address that you used in your last application.
After Logging into the Service, you’ll be:
- Check your EU citizenship and find out your rights in the UK.
- Update personal details
- You can prove your immigration status to employers, landlords, etc., in the UK.
To verify your status, generate a share code from the website and share it with the individual who wants to check.
You can generate the code by clicking on ‘prove your status’ on the View and Prove service dashboard. Then, you should choose your reason for sharing your immigration details to ensure that the intended person sees only your specific information.
The Service will generate a unique code for every reason you enter. If you are trying to share your code with your landlord, you need to select the right reason and a code will be generated displaying your UK residency right information to your landlord. You will be able to see what the code looks like before sending it to another person.
- Emailing them within View and Prove Service
- Printing the screen and submitting the printout to them
- Make a note of the code & share the writeup
- Reading out the code to them.
The recipient will access the View and Prove Service to enter a six-digit code to view your immigration status.
Need Help?
Are you having trouble accessing the view and Prove Service? Or are you worried because the information displayed by the Service concerning you is incorrect?
If you are an EU national or any other UK immigrant, I can help with proving your UK Immigration Status. Such services include rectifying data and using the Service.
Reach Out to Me
Call me at
+44 7988 138 221 or fill out the form above, and I will get back to you within 24 hours on UK working days.
