EU national: Permanent right to reside and unemployment

[Ruby_R]

Dear All,

I am an EU national and I have been living in the UK since September 2006. I would like to apply for British citizenship on the basis of having acquired the permanent right to reside. However, I am worried that I might not be able to prove that I was continuously exercising my treaty rights for five years because I have a 3 month period of unemployment.

I was a student between September 06 and July 09 but I believe that I cannot claim student status because I don't have proof of CSI for that period. (I have a health insurance card dated to September 09 from my German insurer but this does not have the EHIC design. I also have a EHIC card dated to September 11 but this doesn't cover the above period.)

Whilst I was studying I also worked part time (although not for the whole period of my studies) so I was hoping to rely on worker status instead. I was working from 2007 to 27 December 2008. I started self employment in March 2009 so I have a short period of unemployment. I should mention that I did not register with a Jobcentre during that period and I didn't do any vocational training.

Do you think this period of unemployment will cause a problem? If I simply submit my P60 for 2008/09 and proof of self employment from March 2009 onwards, would they even query it?

Any advice you might have would be much appreciated! Many thanks in advance for your help!