Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to streamline the process by which EU nationals can apply for permanent residence to the UK.

UK Visas & Immigration launched an online version of the permanent residence application in September 2016. Initially it was available to sole EEA or Swiss applicants who qualified in their own right. In February 2017 the online application was extended to enable family members to apply online alongside their EEA or Swiss sponsor.

Those applying online may find the time taken to complete the application is quicker than the equivalent paper form as the online form directs the applicant to specific questions relating to their individual circumstances.

Online applicants can also use the European Passport Return Service. This service, available via participating local authorities, allows the original passport to be checked and returned immediately to the holder, with only a copy submitted along with the papers to the Home Office.

UK Visas & Immigration are working towards digitalising all application routes for EU Nationals and their family members. The intention is to enable customers to apply online across our services and immigration routes in a straight-forward and customer-focused way.