According to statistics, the number of applications for settlement in Great Britain submitted by Hungarians by December 31, 2022 exceeded 170 thousand.
At the top of the list are Romanians who have submitted 1,415,310 settlement applications, followed by Poles, of whom 1,181,550 have applied for settled status in Great Britain by the end of 2022.
Great Britain left the European Union on January 31, 2020. However, EU nationals who have settled legally in Great Britain until the end of 2020, the 11-month transitional period that began after the termination of British membership in the European Union (Brexit), can continue to remain in the country, retaining all their acquired rights, but for an indefinite period of time. They must be applying for a residence permit – with the official legal name EU Settled Status.
The same applies to citizens of the European Union and the wider European Economic Area (EEA) made up of Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, as well as Switzerland residing in Great Britain.
The deadline has passed, but applications can still be submitted
In principle, the deadline for applications has expired on June 30, 2021. However, the British government continues to encourage those who are entitled to submit their applications anyway, because the authorities will accept and evaluate settlement papers that meet the criteria despite the deadline.
By 31 December 2022, 7,040,670 settlement applications had been received from citizens of the 27 member states of the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland living in Great Britain, and approximately 990,000 of these applications had been submitted after the deadline of 30 June 2021.
By the end of the fourth quarter of last year, 6.9 million applications had been processed.
In 50 percent of the applications assessed and approved, applicants were granted permanent status—that is, without a deadline—and in 39 percent of cases, they received advance settlement status.
The latter can be obtained by eligible persons who have not lived in Great Britain for five years at the time of application. However, they can also wait until the five-year expiration date and then apply for a permanent residence permit. In the period that has passed until then, they are also entitled to fully enjoy their acquired rights. However, it is likely that the obligation to apply again will soon cease in their case as well.
Do not leave forgetfulness
The High Court in London, in response to a claim by organizations protecting the interests of EU citizens living in Great Britain, has declared that EU citizens with a stable temporary status should again apply to the British authorities for a permanent residence permit as contravening the Brexit agreement. European. .
According to the organizations that made the claim, this obligation carries the risk that
Those who fail to re-apply for any reason – such as simply forgetting – can be classified as illegal immigrants at any moment and deported by the UK government.
The UK Home Office has announced that it will not appeal against the High Court order and will soon overhaul its application procedures.
According to the ministry’s quarterly statistics provided on Thursday, 172,030 Hungarian citizens had applied for a permanent residence permit in Great Britain as of December 31.
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