Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2017 to Question 3560, whether non-UK EU nationals who have previously lived in the UK but have been absent for more than two consecutive years will have the right to move back to the UK to start accruing years of residence and be eligible for settled status.
Those who have been living in the UK for five years before the specified date and want to continue to make the UK their home will be able to apply for settled status to stay indefinitely after we exit.
Those who have already lived in the UK for over five years and hold permanent residence status under EU law, but were not present at the time of the specified date, will still be eligible for settled status if that absence was less than two consecutive years.