EU Settlement for newly arrive non/EU family member

[marcoscagliusi90]

Hi everyone,

I have used this forum intensively over the past few months and I have found it always precise and useful, thank you!

I have a question. My wife, from the Philippines, has recently joined me in the UK. I am Italian with presettled status. She arrived with a 6 month EU settlement scheme family permit visa. We would now like to get presettled status for her and this is where things get confusing to me.

I donwloaded the EUExit app and it seems that she would need a BRC in order to proceed with the identity verification since she is not from the EU. However, I thought that a BRC was not needed to go through the EUSettlement scheme and I read that her biometrics would be taken as part of the process. Could anyone give me guidance on what we should do at thsi point? Should we apply for a BRC and then apply for presettled status?

Thank you very much!

Marco

[iwolga]

Hi, one of the options the website is offering to a non-EU without BRC is identification by sending your passport (this is how the option is called. Other members say they were not really sending their passports). She need to apply online and attend bio appointment. This seem to be sufficient for ID purposes.

There is a discussion of the very same Q in EU settlement topic (latest page)

[kamoe]

I donwloaded the EUExit app and it seems that she would need a BRC in order to proceed with the identity verification since she is not from the EU.

That is correct.

However, I thought that a BRC was not needed to go through the EUSettlement scheme

That is also correct. What is incorrect is your assumption that the only way of applying to the Settlement Scheme is via the app.

and I read that her biometrics would be taken as part of the process.

This is also correct. Since she needs a BRC her biometrics will need to be taken at some point.

Could anyone give me guidance on what we should do at thsi point?

You have two options:

1. Apply for a BRC through the old and soon-to-be closed EEA route, then with this BRC apply to the Settlement Scheme through the app.

2. Skip the EEA BRC and apply directly to the Settlement Scheme with her passport via post, NOT the app.

Clear options are given on the Settlement Scheme page as to how/which document you want to use to prove her identity (BRC meaning option 1. above; passport meaning option 2.)

Should we apply for a BRC and then apply for presettled status?

This is a very old discussion, and it even has its own reference post with the pros and cons of both options above. Check it out here. However, the more Brexit day comes closer, it is reasonable to think the more the balance leans towards option 2.

[kamoe]

Sorry. Post with pros and cons of both options here. Really now mainly for context and reference.