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As of January 1, 2021, Bulgarian citizens who do not have the status of residence or the status of temporary residence will be able to enter and remain visa-free in the UK for a short stay of up to 6 months. During this time, citizens will be able to enter the country many times for tourism, participation in meetings and conferences, short courses, but not to live permanently, work or have access to public funds.
According to the Bulgarian Embassy in London, our compatriots who intend to stay for a period of more than 6 months to work, study or settle in the United Kingdom will need to apply for a visa. It is possible to apply for a visa through the UK government website.
According to the British authorities, the following immigration routes for work and training have been found for Bulgarian citizens: Skilled worker route; Skilled Workers – Health Care – Skilled Labor – Health Care Visa; Highly Skilled Workers – Global Talent Path; students – Student path; entrepreneurs in the field of innovation – Innovative Entrepreneurs; special professions.
Holders of biometric passports, such as Bulgarian passports, will be able to complete the visa application through a smartphone app. If they fail or cannot read a passport, they will need to visit a Visa Application Center.
Approved applicants will receive secure access to their immigration status in lieu of a physical document.
In addition to the fee due to process the visa application, visa applicants are also required to pay a health care fee, which will provide them with access to health care through the National Health Service.
According to the new UK entry rules, published on the Home Office website, as of October 1, 2021, citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland must have a passport to travel to the country. Bulgarian citizens who have received “status of residence” or “status of temporary residence” will have the right to enter the UK only with an ID card until at least 31 December 2025. They can use the national ID cards after as of December 31, 2025, if the cards comply with the security standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Settlement scheme
Under the Settlement Plan, Bulgarian citizens can receive pre-settled status and settled status.
To obtain settlement status, it will be necessary for people to have resided in the territory of the United Kingdom for 5 consecutive years.
If people have not accumulated 5 years of residence, they can apply for pre-settled status.
The deadline to apply for status under the Liquidation Plan will be June 30, 2021.
By acquiring the Liquidation Plan status, Bulgarian citizens will be able to retain the rights they had while the UK was part of the EU: the right of residence, access to the labor market, access to the country’s social security system, access to the health system, etc.
Professional qualifications acquired before the end of the transitional period will continue to be recognized in the other Member States and the United Kingdom.
The request for the status of the agreement is made electronically. You can use the following manual.
Individuals have the right to supplement their requests in case they need to submit additional documents. People have the right to appeal against the decision of the competent institutions.
Anyone applying for the settlement plan must declare a criminal record.
The application for the Liquidation Plan is free.
The application is carried out through a mobile phone application, which allows the person’s passport chip to be scanned. People who do not have a passport with a chip must send their original documents / DNI or passport without a chip / to the Ministry of the Interior to verify the document.
Loss of liquidation status
Settlement status will be lost if a person does not reside in the UK for 5 consecutive years.
The person may lose his status if he commits a serious crime and, after the transition period, the British deportation threshold will be taken into account; currently, all persons with sentences of more than 1 year can be deported under British law.
Transition from the state of temporary settlement to the state of settlement
When a person who has temporary residence status considers that they have already accumulated 5 years of long-term residence in the UK, they must apply for resident status. Follow the same application procedure.
Important! The person must apply for the status of residence before the status of temporary residence expires.
Update data in the agreement status
It is important to keep the information in the status of your electronic settlement as up to date as possible. This means that it must reflect any changes to your personal data, e.g. Eg in case of change of identity document, change of telephone number or email, indicated for contact, change of address in the territory of the United Kingdom, etc.
Conditions for Bulgarian students
The termination of the right of permanent residence and the right to free movement of EU citizens in the UK from 1 January 2021 will lead to a change in the immigration status of current and future EU students in the United Kingdom.
EU students, including those enrolled in the current academic year 2020-2021, are eligible to apply for the EU Clearance Program, but only if they are physically present in the UK before 1 January 2021. Arrive and settle there before the end of the transitional period It is essential to preserve your right of access to emergency care in the country, through a European Health Card (TSE) or a temporary replacement certificate of the TSE.
The right to receive unplanned treatment: emergency and urgent assistance through the TSE or a replacement certificate is guaranteed to people whose stay began before December 31, 2020 and continues after that date. The maximum length of stay is not defined by law and depends on the factual circumstances of each case.
For students, the stay can last until the end of their studies. They can return to the country where they have their habitual residence to visit family or another country on vacation.
Those EU students who intend to arrive in the UK after December 31, 2020 to study, including those enrolled in the current academic year 2020-2021 who have not resided in the UK, must apply for a student visa before arrival. you are.
They will not be covered by the coordination rules of the social security systems contained in the Withdrawal Agreement and, therefore, they will not receive health care based on the rights granted by the TSE. They will have to pay an immigration medical insurance fee when applying for a visa, which will give them access to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). Applicants for a student visa will be required to pay an immigration health fee of £ 470 per year, in addition to the fee for examining their visa application.
Student fees
Bulgarian students who start their studies after the summer of 2021 will be required to pay student fees in full and will not have access to state-guaranteed student loans. The amount of the fees will be determined by the individual universities and can vary from a part of the UK to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Additional information related to the expiration of the transitional period on 12/31/2020. and the new rules for entering and staying in the UK, Bulgarian citizens can obtain the website of the Bulgarian Embassy in London.
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