How long can a Settled Status holder be away from the UK and heep their status?

[rooibos]

If one is granted EU Settled Status,

1. How long can they absent from the UK?
   
   Is it 2 or 5 years? I seem to remember that it would have been 5 years if Parliament had approved the W.A., which, as we all know, hasn't happened yet.
   
   However, on this page:
   https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-ci ... atus-means
   
   I see:

   If you want to spend time outside the UK
   
   If you have settled status, you can spend up to 5 years in a row outside the UK without losing your status.

   (Underlining mine)
   
   Is this statement to be taken at face value?
2. How does the Home Office know that one has been away?

Many thanks in advance.

[secret.simon]

How does the Home Office know that one has been away?

Most probably Advanced Passenger Information.

At the border, passenger name records data is retained for 5 years. Advance passenger information may be retained for 10 years.

Also, during subsequent applications to the Home Office (and possibly other government departments), you may be required to prove residence by means of government correspondence, by council tax statements, state pension statements, P60s, etc.

[rooibos]

, during subsequent applications to the Home Office (and possibly other government departments), you may be required to prove residence by means of government correspondence, by council tax statements, state pension statements, P60s, etc.

Thanks.

What other applications to the HO would a EU citizen make, apart from, possibly, applying for citizenship?

And what about point 1?

Cheers.

[secret.simon]

What other applications to the HO would a EU citizen make, apart from, possibly, applying for citizenship?

None. As a settled person, you will have reached the top of the immigration tree, the end of the immigration pathway.

The next step is to preserve that status by residing in the UK (or of course, acquiring citizenship).

And what about point 1?

I did not respond to that point because I could not find anything specific about it in Appendix EU.

My interpretation of it is that if the WA is ratified, people with settled status would be able to be absent from the UK for five years without losing that status (as that is a specific provision in the WA).

If there is a Brexit not based on the WA (or even in the event of a no-Brexit), the normal rules for ILR (which is the legal status that you get with Settled Status) will apply, which means that the ILR would lapse automatically if absent from the UK for more than two years.

Note again that the above is my interpretation, in the absence of any specific legal text.

[rooibos]

Alright, thanks.