Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether it is the Government's policy to offer EU citizens with settled status in the UK a life-long right of return to the UK.

The citizens’ rights agreement reached in December, and set out in our Joint Report, will provide EU citizens living in the UK with certainty about their rights going forward.

It will enable families who have built their lives together to stay together, and not only gives more certainty about residence, but also healthcare, pensions and other benefits.

Under the agreement, EU citizens who acquire settled status will lose their right to residence after absence for a period exceeding five consecutive years. This goes beyond the two year absence period that currently applies under EU law for those holding Permanent Residence.