EEA Permanent Residence Card: What You Need To Know Before You Apply!

After article 50 was officially triggered by British Prime Minister Theresa May on 29^th of March, Europeans living in the United Kingdom have started applying for UK Residence Card. There is a lot of uncertainty; Europeans living here for years are worried about their status.

The anxiety of EU nationals over the current situation is understandable. This is why we’re recommending opting for a document that proves your right to reside in the country.

You can apply for:

Registration Certificate: If you’re an EEA national who has resided in the country for less than 5 years and have been exercising your treaty rights

Residence Card: If you’re a non-EEA national family member, and have lived in the UK for less than 5 years

Permanent Residence Card: If you’re an EEA national who has lived in the UK for 5 continuous years, exercising your treaty rights

Applying for permanent residence card

It’s not as much about applying for a permanent residence status as confirming your rights. If you’re an EEA national living in the UK for five years, you automatically acquire the permanent residence status.

This is why most EEA nationals never applied for documentation. However, with Brexit, these rules and regulations are under debate. We advise you to apply for the permanent residence card as soon as possible.

The process is not as straightforward as you may think. Here’s what you should know:

Requirements for permanent residency

General requirements include:

• The applicant is an EEA national or family of an EEA national
• They’re exercising their treaty rights
• They’ve lived in the country for five consecutive years, with no breaks in their residence period

What treaty rights are to be exercised?

The treaty rights determine that the EEA national must be either:

• Working,
• Studying,
• Self-sufficient, or
• Self-employed

Five continuous years clause

You must be lawfully living in the country continuously for at least five years. Also, you should be exercising your treaty rights while living in the UK. Absences of up to six months are tolerable and won’t affect your right to permanent residency.

Additional requirements such as comprehensive sickness insurance for the entire period must be available for all self-sufficient individuals and students. It is one of the main causes of refusal of most EEA permanent residence card applications.

If you want to ensure your application isn’t rejected, get in touch with our expert immigration lawyers in London. We offer EEA, EU and Commonwealth visas and residence permit related legal advice. We also offer assistance for EEA family permits and spouse visas.

What are you waiting for? File your application today!