On 17 July 2023, a new Statement of Changes to the U.K. Immigration Rules was released that included detail on enhancements to the EU Settlement Scheme. 1
The updates made to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) are in response to the High Court judgment handed down last year,2 which found that the EUSS breached the Withdrawal Agreement between the U.K. and the European Union (EU). The judgement found that the EUSS wrongly allowed holders of pre-settled status to become unlawfully resident if they did not make a further application for settled status. The 17 July 2023 Statement of Changes implements the High Court decision and confirms that mechanisms will be put in place to help ensure individuals will not become unlawfully resident if they do not submit a further application.3
Full details on the operational implementation of the changes are yet to be released by the Home Office (particularly those relating to automation in 2024).