Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the Government’s effectiveness in communicating the need for EU citizens to have had a record of comprehensive sickness insurance as a qualifying criterion for permanent residency.

Guidance on which groups of EU citizens require comprehensive sickness insurance as well as the types of documents accepted to meet this condition has always been publicly available to all parties. This can currently be found from page 30 onwards of the guidance on ‘qualified persons’ available on the Gov.uk website via the link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/european-economic-area-nationals-qualified-persons.

​The requirement for EU self-sufficient persons and students to hold comprehensive sickness insurance is set out in the Free Movement Directive (2004/38) which is implemented in the UK via the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2016. We have no plans to change this requirement. However, we will not ​require​ any applicants ​to prove​ ​that​ ​they​ ​have​ ​held​ ​comprehensive​ ​sickness​ ​insurance​ ​when​ ​they​ ​apply​ ​for settled​ ​status​ ​in​ ​the​ ​UK. Students​ ​and​ ​self-sufficient​ ​people​ ​living​ ​here​ ​can​ ​still​ ​be​ ​granted​ ​settled​ ​status​ ​even if​ ​they​ ​have​ ​never​ ​held​ comprehensive sickness insurance.

For those who already hold a valid EU permanent residence (PR) document there will be a simple process to exchange this for settled status free of charge. Those who do not qualify for a for a PR document because they do not have comprehensive sickness insurance will be able to apply for settled status once the scheme opens later this year. The application fee for settled status will not exceed the cost charged to British citizens for a UK passport.