EUSS Family Permit. Length of validity
When completing the application for an EU Settlement Scheme Family Permit, you have to declare your intended date of arrival in the UK.
If your application is successful and an EUSS Family Permit is issued, it will be valid for a period of 6 months from the date of decision, or for a period of 4 months from your intended date of arrival in the UK. It depends on when the decision is made.
If the decision is made more than 3 months in advance of your intended date of arrival in the UK, the Family Permit will be valid for a period of 4 months from the intended date of your arrival in the UK, as stated in the application.
Example: you applied for an EUSS Family Permit on 1 August 2021. You declared that the intended date of arrival in the UK is 1 January 2022. You are issued with an EUSS Family Permit on 1 September 2021. Between 1 September 2021 and 1 January 2022 there are more than 3 months. Therefore, the length of validity of the EUSS Family Permit will be 4 months from your intended date of arrival in the UK. As your intended date of arrival is 1 January 2022, the EUSS Family Permit will expire on 1 May 2022. You can enter the UK at any time and as many times as you wish between 1 September 2021 (the date when the Family Permit has been issued) and 1 May 2022. It does not matter that you declared that you intend to arrive on 1 January 2022.
If the decision was made less than 3 months in advance of your intended date of arrival in the UK, the Family Permit will be valid for a period of 6 months from the date of decision.
Example: you applied for an EUSS Family Permit on 1 August 2021. You declared that the intended date of arrival in the UK is 1 January 2022. You are issued with an EUSS Family Permit on 1 December 2021. Between 1 December 2021 and 1 January 2022 there are less than 3 months. Therefore, the length of validity of the EUSS Family Permit will be 6 months from the date of decision. As the decision is made on 1 December 2021, the EUSS Family Permit will expire on 1 June 2022. You can enter the UK at any time and as many times as you wish between 1 December 2021 and 1 June 2022. It does not matter that you declared that you intend to arrive on 1 January 2022.
If the decision was made exactly 3 months in advance of your intended date of arrival in the UK, the Family Permit will be valid for a period of 6 months from the date of decision.
If you want to apply for an EUSS Family Permit and need specialist advice, feel free to contact me. Please note that I am an accredited immigration adviser, not an employee of the UK Visas and Immigration. I charge fees for the advice provided.