The Windrush Scheme (for people who arrived in the UK before the end of 1988)

After the Windrush scandal, the Home Office implemented a new scheme for long term residents to apply for certification of their legal right to live in the UK. Although aimed largely at Commonwealth citizens without documents, the scheme is open to people of any nationality, as long as they have been living in the UK since before the end of 1988 and have been settled here since then, without being away for two years or longer. The relevant application category for most EEA nationals would be:...

The Windrush application is free of charge. Once you submit it, you get an acknowledgment from the Home Office by email, followed by a biometrics letter. This letter has a special bar code indicating that biometrics are free of charge.

You don’t need to send your passport or any original documents with your application, you are allowed to send photocopies of everything. If they need to see your original passport, they will ask you for it.

The form...

Although the form has questions regarding claiming British citizenship, only those people who are already British citizens will be given confirmation of their citizenship, otherwise, anyone else will just get Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) as noted here: Windrush Scheme.

The form asks for details about your, and your parents’ place of birth and their citizenship, to establish this. It isn’t likely that EEA nationals would be able to establish citizenship in...

Section 5 of the form asks whether you have been convicted of any criminal offence in the UK or abroad, including spent convictions.

You also need to say if you are on trial or awaiting prosecution.

Question 5.3 gives you the opportunity to explain why you can be considered of good character despite having convictions, this includes community work, volunteering, etc.

Please note that you are only asked to declare criminal convictions...