25/06/2026
Not every successful EU Settlement Scheme application follows the standard route.
I recently secured Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme via the “Lounes route”—a lesser-known pathway that many applicants, and even some immigration practitioners, are unfamiliar with.
The Lounes route applies where an EU/EEA citizen has subsequently naturalised as a British citizen and wishes to sponsor an eligible non-EEA family member under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Unlike most EUSS applications, this process is not completed online:
• You must contact the Home Office EU Settlement Scheme team and request a paper application form.
• The form is not publicly available and cannot be downloaded. It is generated for one specific applicant and sent by email.
• Once completed, the form must be printed and posted to the Home Office together with the applicant’s identity document.
• Supporting evidence is then submitted separately by email, quoting the application’s unique UAN.
During this matter, I was surprised to learn that a number of legal practitioners and IAA advisers were unfamiliar with this procedure. A common misconception is that where the sponsoring spouse holds both EU and British citizenship, the only option is to pursue a standard EU family permit or assume the EUSS is no longer available. In the right circumstances, that is not the case.
This outcome is a useful reminder that immigration law often contains specialised routes that are easily overlooked. Understanding the nuances of the Immigration Rules and the EU Settlement Scheme can make the difference between a successful application and a missed opportunity.