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COA 19 September 2022
COA 19 September 2022
Web http://www.gov.uk/ukvi
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The Data Protection Act 2018 governs how we use personal data. For details of how we
will use your personal information and who we may share it with please see our Privacy
Notice for the Border, Immigration and Citizenship system at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-information-use-in-borders-immigration-
and-citizenship
This also explains your key rights under the Act, how you can access your personal
information and how to complain if you have concerns.
FURTHER INFORMATION
What you can do in the UK
While your certificate of application is valid, you can:
live in the UK
work – once your employer has verified your certificate
of application with the Home Office
study
rent a place to live in England – once your landlord has
verified your certificate of application with the Home
Office
use the National Health Service (NHS) in a similar way
to permanent UK residents
access public funds such as benefits and pensions, if
you are eligible for them
access a current account with a bank or building society
in the UK
Travelling in and out of the UK
Subject to the usual immigration, customs and health checks at the border, your
certificate of application allows you to travel in and out of the UK pending a final decision
on your application, including during any appeal.
If you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme on the basis of your residence in the UK by
31 December 2020
You will also need a valid passport (or your valid national identity card, if you are an EEA
or Swiss citizen) in order to enter the UK.
You may be delayed at the border if your passport or identity card is not registered on
your UK visas and immigration account at www.gov.uk/update-uk-visas-immigration-
account-details.
If you are a visa national, you will be required to show your carrier (for example, an airline
or ferry operator) a valid visa exemption document (for example, a Biometric Residence
Card or an EU Settlement Scheme family permit) in order to travel to the UK.
If you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme after 30 June 2021, you may also be asked
for evidence to show that you were resident in the UK by 31 December 2020. If you are a
non-EEA national, you may be asked for evidence of the basis on which you qualify for
the EU Settlement Scheme (for example, your family relationship to a relevant EEA or
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Swiss citizen).
If you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme as the joining family member of a relevant
sponsor
You are advised not to travel in or out of the UK until your application has been decided,
unless you have previously been issued with an EU Settlement Scheme family permit,
EEA family permit or UK-issued biometric residence card recognising your family
relationship to a relevant EEA or Swiss citizen. If you have applied while in the UK as a
visitor and you leave the UK, you may not be permitted to re-enter until your application
has been granted.
You will need a valid passport (or your valid national identity card, if you are an EEA or
Swiss citizen and you hold a valid EUSS family permit) in order to enter the UK.
You may be delayed at the border if your passport or identity card is not registered on
your UK visas and immigration account at www.gov.uk/update-uk-visas-immigration-
account-details.
At the border, you may be asked to provide an EU Settlement Scheme family permit, EEA
family permit or UK-issued biometric residence card (these documents may be valid or
expired).
If you are a visa national, you will be required to show your carrier (for example, an airline
or ferry operator) a valid visa exemption document (for example, a Biometric Residence
Card or an EU Settlement Scheme family permit) in order to travel to the UK.
How to evidence your rights while your application is pending
You can evidence your temporary status using this certificate of application. You must
prove your status (which includes this certificate of application) when making a new
application for benefits and services and show your eligibility to work in the UK when
applying for a new job or to rent in England when entering into a new tenancy agreement.
There is no requirement to demonstrate a right to rent where the property is in Northern
Ireland, Scotland or Wales.
If you need to prove your status to someone, you can do this online. You can view your
certificate of application online, using the 'view and prove your immigration status' service:
www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status.
This online service provides a secure record of your application to the EU Settlement
Scheme and is available to you until your application is decided. Whilst your application or
appeal is pending, you can use this service to share the fact that you have an outstanding
application with others, including to prove your right to work in the UK and your right to
rent property in England.
The online service may direct the employer or landlord to carry out a check with the
Employer Checking Service or Landlord Checking Service in order to confirm your right to
work or right to rent.
How to access your certificate of application online
You will have created a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account when you applied to
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the EU Settlement Scheme. If you applied using a paper application form, an account will
have been created for you during the application process and the sign in details shared
with you. You will use your UKVI account credentials to sign in to the online view and
prove on GOV.UK, where you can access your online status information.
To sign into your UKVI account, you will need details of the identity document (your
passport, national identity card, or Biometric Residence Card or Biometric Residence
Permit), the phone number or email address you used when you applied and your date of
birth.
If you have any problems using the service, you no longer have access to your account
sign in details or if anything on your certificate of application is incorrect you should
contact www.gov.uk/contact-ukvi-inside-outside-uk.
You can find out more about your UKVI account and certificate of application at
www.gov.uk/guidance/using-your-uk-visas-and-immigration-account.
From the 'view and prove your immigration status' service you can choose to share
relevant information with someone else. You will need to select the reason why you are
sharing your status information, to ensure the correct information is shared (for example
to prove right to work or right to rent). You will then be provided with a share code to give
to the person with whom you want to share your status information. This share code will
give that person time-limited access to the relevant information.
More information on how to use the view and prove service can be found at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/view-and-prove-your-immigration-status-evisa.
When you are using services provided by UK government departments and other public
authorities, for example benefits and healthcare, the Home Office will increasingly make
the relevant information on your immigration status available automatically through
system to system checks, so that you won't need to prove your entitlements.
There is more detail on how information on your immigration status is shared at:
www.gov.uk/guidance/using-your-uk-visas-and-immigration-account.
If your information or circumstances change
It's important that you keep your personal details on your UKVI account up to date, and
that you inform us if your passport or travel document changes so you can continue to
access your account and to avoid any unnecessary delays at the UK border.
You can update your details at www.gov.uk/update-uk-visas-immigration-account-details
or by using the 'update details' function in the view and prove service.
You'll need to update your details if there are changes to:
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You should request verification of this certificate of application using the Employer
Checking Service at: www.gov.uk/employee-immigration-employment-status.
Further information about employing EU, EEA and Swiss citizens or their family members
in the UK can be found at: www.gov.uk/employee-immigration-employment-status.
Further information about the Employer Checking Service and the responsibilities of
employers can be found in the Employer right to work checks supporting guidance at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-employers-guide.
Or you can contact:
The Employer Enquiry helpline
Telephone: 0300 790 6268
Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4:45pm
Friday, 9am to 4:30pm
Landlords – England only
Where an individual is unable to use the Home Office online service to evidence their
immigration status in the UK as detailed above, a check should be made to the Landlord
Checking Service.
This certificate of application may form the basis for the Landlord Checking Service to
issue a Positive Right to Rent Notice, where the applicant has a right to rent if they made
an application to the EU Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021 or made a valid application
after that date, or they held existing rights under any current immigration status. This can
be used to establish a statutory defence against liability to pay a civil penalty under
sections 23 and 25 of the Immigration Act 2014 where renting to an adult who is a
disqualified person. This legislation applies only to residential letting agreements in
England.
You should request verification of this certificate of application using the Landlord
Checking Service at: www.gov.uk/landlord-immigration-check.
Further information about the Landlord Checking Service and the responsibilities of
landlords can be found in the landlord right to rent checks supporting guidance at:
www.gov.uk/government/collections/landlords-immigration-right-to-rent-checks.
Or you can contact:
The Landlords' helpline
Telephone: 0300 790 6268
Monday to Thursday, 9am to 4:45pm
Friday, 9am to 4:30pm
Information for organisations or other government departments
If the NHS, a relevant local authority, or another government department wishes to
validate this certificate of application, they may contact the Home Office, if there is a
statutory requirement to do so, via established communication channels before making a
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decision. This should only be necessary if the person is unable to use the Home Office
online service to evidence their status in the UK.
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