Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit, whether a relevant person from Northern Ireland who has not been residing in the UK for the six months prior to making an application for that permit intends to return to Northern Ireland with their non-EEA family members is eligible for that permit.

The relevant non-EEA national family members of a relevant person of Northern Ireland can apply for an EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit to accompany that person to, or join them in, the UK, where the relevant person of Northern Ireland holds status under the EU Settlement Scheme or (were they not a British citizen, where they are one) would be granted this status if they applied.

The potential eligibility for status under the scheme of the relevant person of Northern Ireland will require they have the requisite continuity of residence in the UK, which generally means they will not have been absent from the UK for more than six months.