Disregarding absences

My best friend is planning to apply for settled status with a view to applying for British citizenship.

She has just finished her three year bachelors but has had absences amounting to four to six months per year.

The reasons are partly Covid and the fact that her stepfather fell ill and died.

Now she is considering doing a Masters in Europe with a view of then coming back to continue her professional training as a lawyer.

She may consider doing part time work and travelling back and forth between Europe and England.

Do you think there’s any chance that she will still be able to apply to settle status upon a year after her return, when she will reach the five year Mark since she moved to the UK? Despite her absences and Masters abroad?

Even if she is granted status, do you think that she will have to wait five years after she returns from Europe, even if she only spends six months in total doing her Masters in Europe?

Any support/guidance on how lenient they may be with these absences would be appreciated. We do know the guidance notes for nationality applications, but the experience of the forum members would be appreciated

See also Lengthy absences from the UK can put EU settled status at risk.

Thanks very much. I take it then, that the situation I described is a bit risky.

The article that you linked Vinny, it doesn’t describe specific cases where absences may be disregarded. It just explains the rules.

Would anybody be able to share, from experience or from reading this forum, how likely it is that the long absences I’ve described (> six months) may be disregarded?