Permanent residence

ARCHIVED: this Overview is no longer maintained as it covers the implementation of EU free movement law in the UK prior to IP completion day, on which date domestic legislation implementing EU free movement law was revoked, subject to certain savings and modifications. For further details, including on the relevant savings and the position of CJEU case law, see Practice Note: What does IP completion day mean for Immigration?. The Practice Note has been retained in archived form for historical interest, because EU law as previously implemented in the UK remains relevant in certain limited situations. For historical versions of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016, SI 2016/1052, including immediately prior to revocation, see Legislation.gov.uk. For the ongoing development of EU free movement law in EU Member States, see: Immigration, employment & share incentives (EU Law)—overview.

The right of permanent residence (PR) was introduced by Directive 2004/38/EC (Citizens' Directive), which was initially transposed into the UK by the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006, SI 2006/1003 (EEA Regs 2006). The EEA Regs 2006 came into force on 30 April 2006, which was the deadline