ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

European Union Settlement Scheme

Imagine you have a big group of friends who all live together in the same house. One day, some of your friends want to move out and live somewhere else. However, they still want to be friends with everyone in the house and be able to come back and visit whenever they want.

The European Union Settlement Scheme is like a plan for people who are citizens of the European Union (EU) and want to live in the United Kingdom (UK). It makes sure that these people can still be friends with the UK and come and visit even if they are not living there anymore.

To apply for the Settlement Scheme, EU citizens need to give some information to the UK government about who they are and how long they have been living in the UK. This way, the UK can keep track of who is still considered a friend and who is not.

Once someone gets approved for the Settlement Scheme, they can stay in the UK as long as they want and continue to be friends with everyone there. This also means they can still get important things like healthcare and education just like they did before.

In summary, the European Union Settlement Scheme is a way for EU citizens to keep their friendship with the UK even if they move away, by giving the UK government some information about their stay and getting approval to stay connected.