I’ve been noticing from different online communities around the internets that EU citizens are using neo banks like Monzo, Monese, Starling, etc to open bank accounts and use it as a proof of address to apply for the EU settlement scheme, even if they are not living in the U.K.
The basic premise here is they are able to open bank accounts in said banks without having to provide any proof that they reside in the UK, using the address of a friend or an AirBnb, and after that use any correspondence from Monzo (or others) as proof they arrived in the UK before the end of the year. From what people say online lots of them have successfully done this already.
Now, I had been discussing this with friends that wanted to do this themselves and we were wondering… Is this an illegal practice? Or just immoral? Or neither?
I’ve also heard this kind of behaviour is rampant, I think the part that is illegal is saying on the government form that you have lived in the UK for X amount if time.
When I applied for the scheme I had to provide 5 years of proof of address, when I arrived in the U.K., which university I went and for how long. Plus they did a soft search on my credit report to check whether my answers were correct or not. All the address history plus the electoral roll are registered on the credit report so, I doubt they managed to get settlement status just with Monzo.
When I applied for the scheme I had to provide 5 years of proof of address, when I arrived in the U.K., which university I went and for how long. Plus they did a soft search on my credit report to check whether my answers were correct or not. All the address history plus the electoral roll are registered on the credit report so, I doubt they managed to get settlement status just with Monzo.
Maybe not “settled status”, but what about the so called “pre settled status”? Which the end result is almost the same. People don’t need to prove 5 years of residence in this case.
The pre settled status is only granted for arrivals prior to a certain date (31st Dec 2020), I would imagine that providing with false information during the pre-settled status application could have repercussions further down the line if it were to come to light, I would imagine that at some point during the application you would electronically sign/certify that the information provided is true and accurate.
Both the applicant (and the person facilitating the address for the application), could end up in trouble.
The text above is only an assumption and it is not, nor should be taken as official or profesional advice.
For answers please consult an immigration lawyer.
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Anarchist
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7
Just a word of caution. It is unlawful for a non qualified person to give immigration advice.
Is that true?? I pretty much do that all day as my job!
Anarchist
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10
It’s not necessarily the person who has to be registered, but;
It is a criminal offence for a person to provide immigration advice or services in the UK unless their organisation is regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) or is otherwise covered by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Members of certain professional bodies may give immigration advice without registering with OISC.
I’m also curious about this, not necessarily for the settlement scheme, but because I kind of want a UK Monzo account to fiddle around with. Revolut and TransferWise were able to give me UK sort codes and account numbers even though I’m from and reside in the US, but apparently they’re not true bank accounts.
Anarchist
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18
