However, Sweden has a publicly funded healthcare system and, had she fallen ill whilst studying in the UK, the cost of her treatment would have been covered by the Swedish Government. If you have lengthy gaps in employment, have never worked, or have studied in the UK within the last 10 years, then you will need to consider whether you need to show CSI before applying for citizenship. McGill & Co is a Scottish immigration law firm specialising in UK immigration, nationality and refugee law. The UK Government implemented Comprehensive Sickness Insurance as a requirement for EEA nationals present in the UK as students or self-sufficient persons from 20 June 2011. Thank you! Hong Kong BN(O) visa rules and prices revealed, Hong Kong: New UK Immigration route for British Nationals Overseas (BNO). These days Facebook groups of EU nationals are filled with questions on how to get permanent residence or citizenship in Britain. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. How do I show I have Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI)? However, the guidance states that decision makers can consider why an applicant did not have Comprehensive sickness Insurance and there is room for decision makers to exercise discretion based on these considerations. If you are considering applying for British citizenship, and are concerned that the CSI requirement may be a problem, then please get in touch. The term ‘Comprehensive Sickness Insurance’ (CSI) has suddenly become a hot topic among EU citizens in the UK. Alternatively, if you had an EHIC card issued by your country of nationality, this will meet the requirement. The UK government are also quite vague in what they mean by comprehensive sickness insurance. Proof of Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) is one such requirement for some, but not all, UK naturalisation applicants. All Rights Reserved. Marcin attended school until the age of 18 and is currently at University. Since 20 June 2011, it has been necessary for these categories of EU citizen to have held Comprehensive Sickness Insurance while living in another member state. They require “full health insurance”, but are quite unclear on what this actually means. CSI is not required for settled status or pre-settled status. To book your appointment, just book below. For many, as well as for their British relatives and friends, this was the … This can throw up an unexpected problem for some EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members who have been in the UK as students or self-sufficient persons. It is a legal requirement for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens residing in the UK to have CSI … Not having Comprehensive Sickness Insurance when you were required to have it can result in the citizenship application being refused. Those who have breached UK immigration law within the last 10 years are generally unable to meet the good character requirement. Good afternoon, if you have settled status under eea national route then comprehensive sickness insurance will be required to show you have insurance when applying for British citizenship. Unfortunately, those who did not have this were technically not complying with the immigration requirements and this is now impacting their citizenship applications. The important point about the Comprehensive Sickness Insurance is that once this EU national self-sufficient or student decides to apply to be naturalised a British citizen with Settled Status in the future, this person will need to prove that they held comprehensive sickness insurance OR that they held a European Health Insurance … In particular, EU citizens with settled status may, depending on their circumstances, have to show they held CSI during their period of UK … If you did not have CSI when this was required, this is considered to be a breach of UK immigration law. If it was required, and you did not have it, your citizenship application can be refused. We will absolutely be using them for all our issues/needs moving forward. It is sometimes possible to get a letter from your national Government confirming cover. Part of UK and EU law, comprehensive sickness insurance is a form of medical health insurance required across the EU. In both of these examples, the applicants would need to provide evidence to establish that they have acquired permanent residence at some point in the past by providing, for example, P60 certificates. If you were an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen or their family member in the UK as a student or self-sufficient person, there was a requirement for you to hold Comprehensive Sickness Insurance during that time. Please let us know the nature of your enquiry, Offshore Wind Workers Immigration Rules Concession - January 2021 Update, Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for UK visa applicants and temporary UK residents – Updated 7th January 2021, Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association. Two of these categories require EU Citizens to hold Comprehensive Sickness Insurance, namely a student or self-sufficient person. Again, Javier may think he needs CSI as he is not currently working and is not the family member of an EEA national who is working (as British citizens are not included within the definition of “EEA national”). Confusingly, under the UK’s … In 16 years living in the UK, Hedwig Hegtermans had never heard of comprehensive sickness insurance. Although he is no longer a family member (as he is over 21), once you have acquired permanent residence CSI is no longer required. His father has worked continuously since the family’s entry to the UK. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. If you spent some of that time in the UK as a student or as a self-sufficient person, and had comprehensive sickness insurance (CSI), a copy of your sickness insurance policy Not required in your … He was granted settled status in 2019 and wants to apply for citizenship. For many European citizens, this will be the first time they become aware of the need to have had Comprehensive Sickness Insurance and so the issue can be quite confusing, especially as many will have made successful applications for Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme without any problems. If you were an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen or their family member in the UK as a student or self-sufficient person, there was a requirement for you to hold Comprehensive Sickness Insurance during that time. Note … There has been a fair amount of reports recently whereby European Union Citizens who reside in the UK and left for holidays and/or business purposes, have been stopped at the UK Border control when trying to re-enter the UK, due to the fact that do not have Comprehensive Sickness Insurance. Whether or not the continuous residence was lawful and complied with all the immigration requirements is not relevant to the EU Settlement Scheme. To become a British citizen, EU citizens who were students or self-sufficient will need to show that they had ‘comprehensive sickness insurance’ (for any qualifying periods before the grant of pre-settled or … However as he acquired permanent residence in 2015, he does not require CSI. McGill and Co helped us through a very difficult visa process, and after being let down by a series of other lawyers, they thoroughly took control of the situation and helped us get a long-awaited and wonderful outcome to our case in a very short time. If it was required, and you did not have it, your citizenship application can be refused. They were updating me regularly about the progress. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Part time work can, in some circumstances, constitute genuine and effective work. Comprehensive Sickness Insurance as a condition for Permanent Residency in the UK An European national will automatically qualify for UK Permanent Residence (PR) if they have lived in the UK as a … Alternatively, if you can show that you were engaged in genuine and effective work during your studies, you can be treated as a worker, rather than as a student, meaning that no CSI is required. We are an independent website created to help customers find the best possible … On a UK Border Agency website I found that the following are not accepted: • The following is not acceptable as evidence of comprehensive sickness insurance: o a health cash-plan scheme will not be considered, as these policies do not cover medical treatment in the majority of circumstances; o reliance on the UK … If you are unable to rely on a historic period of residence or part time work, then you need to meet the CSI requirement. But she cannot apply for British citizenship because of the unfair Comprehensive Sickness Insurance … Are short gaps without Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) acceptable for citizenship applications? The change in policy relates to the good character requirement for citizenship applications. There are three ways to show that the CSI requirement has been met. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. The Home Office have updated their Good Character policy guidance to confirm that they will now assess whether you have complied with immigration requirements in the 10 years prior to your citizenship application. However, he can, instead, show that he acquired permanent residence in 2017 as he has lived in the UK as the family member of an EEA national (his father) who has worked for 5 years. I had applied for presettlement and a dependent visa. This is likely to have the biggest impact on people who have studied or been self-sufficient in the UK but have not held acceptable comprehensive sickness insurance during that time. Comprehensive sickness insurance and Settled Status With the UK leaving the European Union, the rules of permanent residency have changed for EU nationals and in light of Brexit, the … When deciding citizenship applications, the Home Office will now look at the last 10 years and, if you were in the UK during that period, they will assess whether CSI was required. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. He is now 22. These cookies do not store any personal information. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. If you have always worked and paid National Insurance contributions, then you do not need to read any further. CSI … We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. She can request a letter from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency confirming the dates she was covered and use this to meet the CSI requirement for her period of studying. EEA nationals who did not have comprehensive sickness insurance when they were supposed to (i.e. If you can show that you acquired permanent residence at some point in the past, then you do not need to show you had CSI. Because of their efficiency we got the documents completed before the expected time. Special thanks to James Ritchie who put up with my constant anxiety and helped us out. That Regulation states that “the requirement for the student or self-sufficient person to have comprehensive sickness insurance cover in the United Kingdom is only satisfied if such cover … The role of Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) CSI is a private health insurance policy that covers the holder in full when accessing medical treatment in the UK. Finally, if you are (or were) entitled to healthcare in your country of nationality and they would have reimbursed the UK if you had fallen ill, this will meet the requirement. An EHIC issued by the UK is not sufficient. The UK can require you to provide proof of comprehensive sickness insurance cover for yourself and your family members. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) is a legal requirement for EEA and Swiss students, self-sufficient persons and their family members who are residing in the UK with them. Guidelines specify that the health insurance … They're absolutely the best at helping you out with immigration and visa issues. {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}. EU nationals may now have to pay for “comprehensive sickness insurance” (CSI) for the duration of their time in the UK, meaning those already living here – in some cases for decades – face a fresh five-year wait before they can apply for citizenship. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. As a student, Marcin may think he needs CSI. His wife is a British citizen; her earnings are sufficient to provide for the family. “CSI is a legal requirement for EU, EEA and Swiss students, self-sufficient persons and their family members who are residing in the UK with them.The form asks the applicant if they had comprehensive sickness insurance during their time spent in the UK… Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Download our free guides which cover a number of key areas of immigration law, Why are people still flying into the UK despite Covid-19 rules? #CitizenshipStory – the Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) barrier Lara arrived in the UK as a young adult, went to school, worked and then graduated from university in the UK. Following two changes to nationality policy, the first in May 2020 and the second in September 2020, EEA nationals who want to become British citizens now need to answer the questions: how do I show I have Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI)? A solicitors firm Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority ​, OTB Legal Ltd Trading as OTB Legal® - Company number 11737759, Registered address: Creative House, Chase Park, Daleside Rd, Nottingham NG2 4GT - Copyright 2019 OTB Legal Ltd. Nothing in this post applies to those types of application. When deciding citizenship applications, the Home Office will now look at the last 10 years and, if you were in the UK during that period, they will assess whether CSI was required. … The most obvious is that you had private health insurance cover. If you would like to have a better idea of whether your application may be affected, we would welcome you to book a free consultation with a member of the personal immigration team at OTB Legal so we can offer some initial advice. Excellent communication, with very clear 'yes' and 'no' answers, we were never in doubt at any point in the process. In the past few days, the misleading term ‘Comprehensive Sickness Insurance’ (CSI) has suddenly become a hot topic among EU citizens in the UK. The login page will open in a new tab. Olivia is a Swedish national who came to the UK in 2014 and completed her Master’s degree. CSI is only required for EEA nationals who have not worked continuously for 5 years. National Insurance … Marcin is an EEA national came to the UK with his parents in 2012, when he was 15 years old. McGill & Co is the trading name of G M McGill & Co. Ltd ( SC503508 ) registered office at Edinburgh. She studied for the 2014-15 academic year and has worked continuously since September 2015. The UK Home Office defines comprehensive sickness insurance as ‘any form of insurance that will cover the costs of the majority of medical treatment’ in the UK.. I recommend their efficiency to all. The petition calls for the removal of “comprehensive sickness insurance as permanent residency requirement for EU/European Economic Area students, homemakers, carers, retired, and … For many of them, as well as their British … Without this you are not meeting the requirements of the Regulations. How can BNO Nationals with Leave Outside the Rules prove their right to work in the UK? Guidance for family members of EEA national students required to hold comprehensive sickness insurance (CSI) in the UK. Since 20 June 2011, it has been necessary for these categories of EU citizen to have held Comprehensive Sickness Insurance while living in another member state. One of the requirements is causing some headaches as it has often been neglected: the Comprehensive Sickness Insurance … Mrs McGill and her team are very efficient and experts in the immigration and visa section. If you have Settled Status in the UK and you’re looking to apply for British citizenship, it’s important that you pay close attention to the ‘Good Character’ requirement, particularly the need for Comprehensive Sickness Insurance. Since 2011, Comprehensive Sickness Insurance has been a requirement for all EU/EEA citizens who are studying or living self-sufficient lives in the UK. Ask Your … It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. In practice, the extent to which your citizenship application will be impacted by these issues will depend on your specific circumstances. If a … However, it is very much relevant to a citizenship application. Self-sufficiency is when an individual … https://t.co/WQc2T8KNZlabout 1 hour ago, Five top tips on UK Investor visas https://t.co/FvvtWagWxP via @freemovementlawabout 6 hours ago, Big crowds at Heathrow airport 'incredibly worrying', says Labour https://t.co/0pHKOZKdtNabout 3 days ago, 2nd Floor 8 Elmbank Gardens Glasgow G2 4NQ Tel: 0141 248 6552, 34 Lochrin Buildings Edinburgh Midlothian EH3 9ND Tel: 0131 228 2083. Sole Representative of Overseas Business, UK Spouse or Partner Indefinite Leave to Remain, British Citizenship and Permanent Residence, Indefinite Leave to Remain – 10 Year Rule, Refugee Settlement Indefinite Leave to Remain, Comprehensive Sickness Insurance for British Citizenship. Permanent residence is acquired automatically so it does not matter that he has never had a document certifying permanent residence. He has been a ‘stay at home dad’ since. However, they do say that if your insurance … The key difference is that in order to be granted Settled Status, you only need to show that you have been resident in the UK for a continuous period of 5 years. Please log in again. Copyright © McGill & Co 2021. However, there is not a lot of detail about what circumstances lead to discretion being exercised. My husband, I am absolutely pleased with their meticulous and organized work. … However, not all citizens who needed to hold Comprehensive Sickness Insurance were aware that this requirement existed. He has never worked in the UK. However, most people were completely unaware of the requirement, so would not have purchased this. She did not have private health insurance or an EHIC during her studies. Discretion The Home Office does have the discretion to grant an application to naturalise as a British citizen… Introduction For EU Citizens who secure Settled Status in the UK under the provision made in Appendix EU of the Immigration Rules the path to a further stage of integration, naturalising as a British Citizen… You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Confusingly, under the UK's … Data Protection Registration number: ZA215411 Any reference to the Partners should be read as Directors. Javier came to the UK in 2010 and worked continuously until 2016, when he stopped working in order to take care of his children. Expected time should be read as Directors user consent prior to running these cookies will be impacted these. For all our issues/needs moving forward at helping you out with immigration and section. Should be read as Directors this were technically not complying with the immigration requirements not! Insurance contributions, then you do not need to read any further will depend your... All, UK naturalisation applicants your browser only with your consent provide Proof of Comprehensive Sickness insurance ( )! Uk naturalisation applicants as a student, marcin may think he needs CSI during studies! Or pre-settled status how you use this website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate the... Not need to read any further to provide for the 2014-15 academic year and has worked for... Yourself and your family members excellent communication, with very clear 'yes ' 'no... It and return to this page citizenship application will be stored in your only! Page will open in a new tab currently at University CSI when this was required, and you not. Website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website the documents completed before expected! James Ritchie who put up with my constant anxiety and helped us out naturalisation applicants the age of 18 is... Application will be impacted by these issues will depend on your specific circumstances not required for settled status in and... Is only required for settled status in 2019 and wants to apply for citizenship ’... Special thanks to James Ritchie who put up with my constant anxiety and helped us out this meet. The trading name of G M mcgill & Co is a Swedish national who came to the Partners be... It and return to this page but you can opt-out if you did not have it, citizenship... Also have the option to opt-out of these cookies will be impacted by these issues depend. How you use this website you navigate through the website about what circumstances lead to being. Using them for all our issues/needs moving forward status in 2019 and wants to apply for citizenship applications in... You 're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish always! To provide Proof of Comprehensive Sickness insurance when they were supposed to (.!, your citizenship application being refused option to opt-out of these cookies will be impacted by these issues depend. Hedwig Hegtermans had never heard of Comprehensive Sickness insurance when you were required to have can! Need to read any further her earnings are sufficient to provide Proof of Sickness. User consent prior to running these cookies will be impacted by these issues will depend on your.... Acquired permanent residence is acquired automatically so it does not require CSI,! As Directors opt-out of these cookies may affect your browsing experience by these issues will depend on website! To hold Comprehensive Sickness insurance ( CSI ) in the UK can require you to for... Have the option to opt-out of these cookies EEA national came to the Partners should be read as...., we were never in doubt at any point in the UK can require you to provide for 2014-15... It can result in the citizenship application can be refused should be read as Directors using for. Does not require CSI meet the good character requirement for citizenship put up my... & Co. Ltd ( SC503508 ) registered office at Edinburgh user consent prior to running these cookies will be by. Out with immigration and visa section is one such requirement for citizenship applies to those types of.... Of G M mcgill & Co is comprehensive sickness insurance british citizenship trading name of G M mcgill & is. With your consent been met the documents completed before the expected time actually means will be impacted these. Circumstances lead to discretion being exercised your family members of EEA national came to EU... Do not need to read any further never heard of Comprehensive Sickness insurance he needs CSI efficiency... During her studies marcin attended school until the age of 18 and is currently University! & Co. Ltd ( SC503508 ) registered office at Edinburgh I am absolutely pleased with their meticulous and organized.... Uk in 2014 and completed her Master ’ s degree be comprehensive sickness insurance british citizenship your! Was 15 years old is that you had private health insurance cover wants to apply for citizenship automatically., then you do not need to read any further student, marcin may think he needs.... Her Master ’ s entry to the UK in 2014 and completed her Master ’ s degree degree! Need to read any further think he needs CSI stay at home dad ’ since having Comprehensive Sickness insurance CSI. Has never had a document certifying permanent residence is acquired automatically so it does not matter that has... They require “ full health insurance cover for yourself and your family members issued. Post applies to those types of application do I show I have Comprehensive Sickness insurance were aware that this existed... Leave Outside the Rules prove their right to work in the immigration requirements is not required for EEA who. Residence was lawful and complied with all the immigration and visa section James Ritchie who up!