Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether EU citizens who have been resident in the UK for five years or more but have not been in employment or in receipt of benefits are eligible for settled status after the UK leaves the EU.

We​ ​have​ ​agreed​ ​with​ ​the​ ​EU​ ​that​ ​the​ ​eligibility​ ​criteria for UK settled status​ ​will​ ​be​ ​the​ ​same as,​ ​or​ ​more​ ​favourable than,​ ​​those​ ​set​ ​out​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Free​ ​Movement​ ​Directive​ ​for​ ​acquiring permanent​ ​residence after five years.​ The criteria will include those EU citizens who have resided here as self sufficient persons and so have never worked or been in receipt of benefits.

As a matter of domestic policy, we have decided that the main requirement for eligibility under the settlement scheme will be continuous residence in the UK. Applicants will not need to demonstrate that they met the relevant requirements in the Free Movement Directive as to permitted activity.