UK Permanent Residence: What It Means Now (PR vs ILR vs Settled Status)
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The UK’s old EEA Permanent Residence route closed after Brexit. If you want to settle permanently in the UK today, you need either Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) — not a Permanent Residence application. This page explains what happened to EEA Permanent Residence, how it compares to ILR and settled status, and exactly where to go next — including what to do if your old EEA PR application was refused.
What Happened to EEA Permanent Residence After Brexit
Under EU free movement law, EEA nationals who had lived in the UK for five years while exercising Treaty rights could apply for a Permanent Residence document. That route closed when the UK left the EU. The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) opened to replace it, and its main application deadline of 30 June 2021 has now passed for most applicants.
A pre-Brexit Permanent Residence document is no longer, on its own, proof of your right to remain in the UK. Most people in this position needed to apply separately under the EUSS to secure settled or pre-settled status. If you never made that EUSS application, you should get advice urgently — late applications are still possible in limited circumstances where you can show “reasonable grounds” for missing the deadline.
Permanent Residence vs ILR vs Settled Status
Old EEA Permanent Residence | Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) | EUSS Settled Status | |
Still open to new applicants? | No — closed since Brexit | Yes | Only in limited late-application circumstances |
Who it’s for | EEA nationals (historic) | Anyone settling via work, family, long residence, refugee/humanitarian routes, etc. | EU, EEA and Swiss citizens (and their family members) resident in the UK by 31 December 2020 |
Typical qualifying period | 5 years exercising Treaty rights | Usually 5 years (some routes shorter or longer) | 5 years’ continuous UK residence (from pre-settled status) |
Current application fee | N/A (route closed) | £3,226 (standard, effective 8 April 2026), plus the Immigration Health Surcharge | Free |
Leads to British citizenship? | Indirectly, via naturalisation | Yes, via naturalisation | Yes, via naturalisation |
My EEA Permanent Residence Application Was Refused — What Are My Options Now?
If you applied for EEA Permanent Residence before the route closed and were refused, the refusal itself doesn’t disappear — but reapplying under the old route is no longer possible, so the practical question is what status you can secure today:
- If you have pre-settled status under the EUSS, focus on converting to settled status rather than revisiting the old refusal. From 9 April 2026, the Home Office automatically converts pre-settled to settled status once its records show 30 months of UK presence within the last 60 months, checked against tax, benefits and (where needed) travel data. If you qualify but haven’t been converted automatically, or you fall into one of the groups excluded from automatic conversion (for example, non-EEA family members or those under 18), you can still apply directly — see our Appendix EU / EU Settlement Scheme guide.
- If you never secured EUSS status at all, a late application may still be possible with “reasonable grounds” for missing the June 2021 deadline — get advice before assuming the door is closed.
- If you believe the original EEA PR refusal itself was wrong and it still affects your immigration history, an Administrative Review or, in more limited circumstances, Judicial Review may be the right route — our solicitors can assess which applies to your case.
- If you now qualify a different way — through work, family, long residence or refugee/humanitarian protection — the routes below explain where to apply.
Who Still Needs to Act, and Where to Go
Your situation | What to apply for | Where to go |
EU/EEA citizen with pre-settled status, approaching or past 5 years in the UK | Settled status (or automatic conversion) | |
Settling via work, family, or 10 years’ long residence | Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) | |
Refugee, humanitarian protection or discretionary leave holder | ILR as a Refugee — Set (P) | Indefinite Leave to Remain as a Refugee, Humanitarian Protection or Discretionary Leave |
Grew up in the UK and may qualify under the half-life test | Early Concession on ILR | |
Already hold ILR or settled status and need to prove it (e.g. an expiring BRP) | No Time Limit (NTL) application | |
Working in the UK but living elsewhere in the EEA/Switzerland | UK Frontier Worker Permit |
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