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PARTLY

As of 13 August 2026, AI can only partly apply for UK pre-settled status.

This still needs a person who signs their name to it.

Can you do it?

5 minutesto a draft.

30 minutesto something you’d act on.

Cost, all in£0

Skill neededchat-fluent

Who has to check ityou

What the alternative costsNo priced alternative is listed in the supplied tool data.

If this goes wrong: an incorrect answer or missing document can delay or damage your immigration application, and the tool does not accept responsibility.

What to actually do

  1. Hand it to a person

    The route this page recommends

    A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.

  2. Use a tool built for this

    Second choice
  3. Do it yourself

    The distant third

    A chat interface, chat-fluent skill, and roughly 30 minutes until you can act on the result.

    How to actually do it

    1. Open the GOV.UK page for the EU Settlement Scheme and the official pre-settled status application route, and keep both pages available while you work.
    2. Gather the identity document, residence evidence, travel dates, previous immigration decisions and relevant family relationship evidence that the current GOV.UK guidance says may apply to your circumstances.
    3. Paste the prompt into a chatbot and replace the bracketed slots with redacted facts, leaving out passport numbers, application references and other unnecessary personal data.
    4. Compare the chatbot's checklist, eligibility points and deadlines with the GOV.UK pages you opened, and mark any statement that is not directly supported or that the chatbot labels CHECK.
    5. Use the chatbot's draft only as notes while completing the official application, enter the facts yourself, upload the evidence requested by the official process and save the confirmation.
    6. Before submitting a complex, disputed or urgent case, take the facts and unresolved CHECK items to a regulated UK immigration adviser or solicitor rather than relying on the chatbot.

    Prompt

    Help me prepare an application for UK pre-settled status using only the current GOV.UK guidance and application route. Do not decide that I qualify, give immigration advice, invent a deadline or infer a fact that I have not supplied. First list the information and evidence the official process says may be relevant, separating required items from items that depend on my circumstances. Then create a numbered checklist and draft plain answers for the application using only these facts: [your nationality and current UK immigration status], [your relevant UK residence dates], [your travel or absence dates], [your relationship to any relevant family member], [the identity document and evidence you have], and [any previous applications, grants or correspondence]. Mark every missing, uncertain or potentially inconsistent fact as CHECK. Link each process or eligibility point to the relevant GOV.UK page. Do not include passport numbers, application reference numbers, addresses or other unnecessary personal data in your response. End with the questions I should take to a regulated UK immigration adviser or solicitor before submitting.

    Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.

What it gets wrong

  • AI cannot access your UKVI account, verify your identity or submit the application on your behalf.
  • AI cannot determine whether complicated residence, absence, family relationship or previous immigration facts meet the relevant rules.
  • AI cannot replace the accountability attached to the answers and documents you submit.
  • AI can present outdated or overconfident immigration information, so every process detail and deadline needs checking against the current GOV.UK guidance.
  • AI cannot assess original documents, credibility or disputed evidence in the way an experienced immigration adviser can.

What caps this at PARTLY: legal accountability, regulated advice and private data access.

How we scored this

Five axes, each scored nought to two by hand: ten means AI carries the task cleanly, and the thresholds that turn a total into YES, PARTLY or NO are published in the methodology. Each axis name links to its definition.

AxisScore (0–2)
Output1
Inputs1
Verification1
Liability0
Effort delta1
Total4 / 10

FAQ

Can AI apply for pre-settled status for me?
No. AI can help you organise evidence and draft answers, but you must use the official application process and remain responsible for what you submit.
Can I use ChatGPT to apply for pre-settled status?
Yes, as a preparation tool for a checklist and draft wording, provided you check everything against GOV.UK. Do not give it unnecessary identity numbers or rely on it to decide that you qualify.
What documents do I need for pre-settled status?
The documents depend on your identity, residence, absences, family circumstances and previous immigration history. Use the current GOV.UK guidance to identify the evidence that applies, then ask AI to organise that list rather than inventing documents.
Should I use an immigration solicitor for pre-settled status?
You should consider a regulated UK immigration adviser or solicitor if your eligibility, residence history, evidence or previous decisions are complicated or disputed. This is not professional advice.

Nearby answers

Assessed by gpt-5.6-luna (gpt-5.6-luna) on 2026-08-13, second-checked by an independent model. Wrong somewhere? Email [email protected] and it gets re-checked.

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