EU Settlement Scheme applications - Monzo Bank Statements not accepted as they cannot be verified

Summary

In this video, UK immigration lawyer Sachin Savant addresses a concern regarding the use of Monzo bank statements as evidence in EU settlement scheme applications. He explains that while bank statements from other institutions are accepted as proof of residence, a recent refusal letter questioned the verifiability of Monzo statements. Despite Monzo having a banking license, the caseworker deemed the evidence insufficient. Savant advises applicants to provide alternative evidence or be prepared to challenge such decisions, highlighting the importance of thorough documentation in immigration applications.

Takeaways

• 📜 Sachin Savant, a UK immigration lawyer, discusses a specific issue related to the EU Settlement Scheme application.
• 🏦 The individual in the case provided Monzo bank statements as evidence of their residence in the UK, covering three years.
• 🔍 Bank statements from Monzo, showing UK transactions, have been accepted as proof of physical presence in the UK in previous cases.
• 🚫 A recent refusal letter for an application cited that Monzo bank statements cannot be verified, thus deemed insufficient evidence by the caseworker.
• 🏛️ Sachin verified Monzo's banking license status through the Bank of England, confirming they have been licensed since 2017.
• ❓ There is a question raised about whether the refusal to accept Monzo bank statements is a widespread issue or specific to the caseworker involved.
• ⚠️ A warning is issued to those filing EU Settlement Status applications to consider providing alternate evidence alongside Monzo bank statements.
• 🤔 The video suggests that using Monzo bank statements alone might not be advisable and that additional evidence should be provided.
• 🔄 The client in the case is considering an administrative review rather than an immediate appeal, indicating a potential challenge to the decision.
• 👉 Sachin encourages viewers to subscribe to his channel for more informative videos on immigration law and status applications.
• 📚 The video is particularly relevant for young people and students who may rely on bank statements as a primary form of evidence for their physical presence in the UK.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the video?

The speaker is Sachin Savant, a UK immigration lawyer.

What is the main topic discussed in the video?

The main topic discussed is the use of Monzo bank statements as evidence for the EU Settlement Scheme application and the issues encountered with their verification.

What specific issue did a client face with their EU Settlement Scheme application?

The client's application was not refused but instead of receiving settled status, they were given pre-settled status. The caseworker stated that the Monzo bank statements provided could not be verified.

Why did the caseworker claim the Monzo bank statements were insufficient?

The caseworker claimed the Monzo bank statements were insufficient because they could not be verified.

What evidence did the client provide to support their EU Settlement Scheme application?

The client provided Monzo bank statements covering three years of residence in the UK, showing transactions at UK retailers such as Costa Coffee and TK Maxx.

What did Sachin Savant find out about Monzo's banking status?

Sachin Savant found out that Monzo has had a full banking license since 2017.

What advice does Sachin Savant give to those filing EU Settlement Scheme applications?

Sachin Savant advises to avoid using Monzo bank statements alone or to provide additional evidence to support their application, as Monzo statements may not be accepted by all caseworkers.

What options are available to challenge the decision of pre-settled status instead of settled status?

Options to challenge the decision include an administrative review or an appeal.

What demographic does Sachin Savant particularly caution about the use of Monzo bank statements?

Sachin Savant particularly cautions students and young individuals who may have limited evidence to prove their residence in the UK.

What is the purpose of subscribing to Sachin Savant's channel according to the video?

Subscribing to the channel helps others who might be filing for settled status applications to get helpful information and avoid potential issues like those discussed in the video.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Monzo Bank Statements and UK Immigration Issues

In this video, immigration lawyer Sachin Savant discusses a recent case involving a client's EU settlement scheme application. The client provided Monzo bank statements as proof of residence in the UK, which were rejected by the caseworker due to verification issues. Despite Monzo having a full banking license since 2017, the caseworker's contention was that the bank statements could not be verified. The lawyer suggests that applicants for EU settlement status should consider providing alternative evidence alongside bank statements to avoid potential refusals. The video also touches on the possibility of appealing such decisions and the importance of having additional evidence for those who may not have much to prove their physical presence in the UK.

05:02

👋 Final Remarks and Call to Action

Sachin Savant concludes the video by encouraging viewers to subscribe to the channel for more informative content on immigration law. He emphasizes the importance of being aware of potential issues when using Monzo bank statements for EU settlement status applications and suggests that viewers who may be affected by this issue or who know others who might be should share this knowledge. The lawyer also highlights the value of the channel for young people and students who may rely on such evidence to prove their residence in the UK.

Keywords

💡settled status

Settled status refers to the immigration status granted to EU citizens living in the UK, allowing them to stay indefinitely. In the video, it is mentioned in the context of an individual's application being initially refused, indicating the importance of proving continuous residence in the UK through various documents.

💡pre-settled status

Pre-settled status is granted to EU citizens who have not yet lived in the UK for five years, allowing them to stay until they reach the five-year mark and can apply for settled status. The video discusses a case where an individual was granted pre-settled instead of settled status, highlighting a need for further proof of residence.

💡EU settlement scheme

The EU Settlement Scheme is a program that allows EU citizens and their families to apply for the right to continue living in the UK after Brexit. The video centers around this scheme, focusing on the evidence required for applications and the challenges some applicants face.

💡Monzo bank statements

Monzo bank statements are financial documents from Monzo Bank, used to show transactions and residency in the UK. The video highlights an issue where Monzo statements were not accepted as verifiable proof of residence by a caseworker, suggesting applicants use additional evidence.

💡evidence of residence

Evidence of residence refers to documents that prove an individual's physical presence in the UK, such as bank statements, bills, or employment records. The video stresses the importance of providing sufficient and verifiable evidence to support an EU settlement application.

💡caseworker

A caseworker is an immigration officer responsible for reviewing and making decisions on immigration applications. In the video, the caseworker's role is crucial as they questioned the validity of Monzo bank statements, affecting the outcome of the application.

💡Bank of England

The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom, overseeing monetary policy and financial stability. The video references the Bank of England to confirm Monzo's banking license, attempting to validate the credibility of Monzo bank statements.

💡administrative review

An administrative review is a process where a refused application is reviewed to check if the decision was correct. The video mentions the client's intention to seek an administrative review after being granted pre-settled status instead of settled status, indicating a potential appeal against the decision.

💡alternative evidence

Alternative evidence refers to other forms of documentation that can be provided if the primary evidence is not accepted. The video advises applicants to provide additional documents alongside Monzo bank statements to strengthen their case and avoid refusal.

💡transaction verification

Transaction verification is the process of confirming the authenticity and accuracy of financial transactions. In the video, the refusal letter cited the inability to verify Monzo bank transactions as a reason for not granting settled status, prompting a discussion on the importance of credible evidence.

Highlights

Touching upon a refusal letter related to EU settlement scheme.

Monzo bank statements used to show three years of residence in the UK.

Bank statements from Costa Coffee, TK Maxx, and other UK retailers were accepted as proof of presence.

Refusal letter indicated Monzo bank statements could not be verified.

Monzo has had a banking license since 2017.

Caseworker's contention that Monzo statements cannot be verified post-2017.

Potential issue might be specific to this caseworker or a broader problem.

Alternative evidence recommended in addition to Monzo bank statements.

Client given pre-settled status instead of settled status.

Appeal or administrative review options available for the refusal.

Highlighting the potential issue for future EU settlement scheme applicants.

Monzo statements may be problematic for proving physical presence in the UK.

Advice to use additional evidence alongside Monzo statements.

Importance of subscribing to the channel for updates and advice.

Encouraging viewers to subscribe to help others with similar issues.

Transcripts

hello this is Sachin Savant your UK

immigration lawyer today I am going to

touch upon one of the points that I've

just seen in one of the second status

refusal letter

one of the individuals has filed a

certain status application provided the

evidence for EU set institutes this is

the EU settlement scheme application

he had provided monzo bank statements

covering three years of his residence

showing the evidence that there were

transactions done in the UK so that is

an acceptable proof we have used that

with other Banks I've used it many times

with the clients as well where we have

used bank statement showing UK

transactions like transactions at Costa

Coffee TK Max anywhere at a UK retailer

and that has been accepted that you are

physically present on that day in the UK

and that can be counted towards your

evidence of being in the UK on that day

or during that period so I just recently

yesterday I was reviewing a refusal

letter which was the client filed on an

application and it was sent to me for

review uh I think it wasn't refused but

instead of settle status the individual

was given pre-settle status and they

were considering challenging it so

the refusal exactly read this it said

they asked for further documents for

that period during the consideration

stating we are making this request as I

read this verbatim

we are making this request as the

evidence you have provided is not

sufficient because the monzo bank

statements cannot be verified so they

are the contention of the caseworker is

or caseworkers in this matter is that

the monzo bank statements cannot be

verified I went on Google I went to the

Bank of England website I tried to see

what is the situation with monzo they do

have a banking license since 2017 that's

what I got from all the information that

I could gather and the individual had

given statements after 2017 so it's

interesting they have a full banking

license so they are a bank

but still uh for the period after 2017

the evidence was used I think it was

from 18 onwards uh so monzo

the contention of the caseworker is the

amounts of bank statements cannot be

verified I don't know whether it whether

it is across the board for any monster

documents I don't know if it is just

this particular caseworker who has

refused considering this application

considering this convention that monzo

buying statements cannot be verified but

I just wanted to throw out to anyone who

is filing EU settlement status

applications providing proof of

residence and one of the options in that

is you can provide your bank statements

showing transactions in the UK money

going in and out and this is one of the

concerns I wanted to raise it if you

have alternate evidence to provide that

instead of monzo bank statements if you

don't have any option it will be

interesting to see this this definitely

can be challenged at an at an appeal

definitely this

they just would be more reasonable on

this because bank is a bank whether it's

monsworth near the bank they cannot be

differentiating against Banks so yes

um uh I don't know whether the client is

going to go ahead with any challenges

further

um in the EU title status applications

there is an option to appeal as well uh

so I think they are going with the route

of admin review for now which may or may

not help yeah but this is something that

I wanted to raise so if you are filing a

certain status application concerning

using monso bank statements I would say

add on some other evidence as well just

to help out the caseworker if they have

this problem across the board across the

case working team uh I'm just predicting

I don't know whether every caseworker

has this issue I've just seen this for

the first time I wanted to bring it to

your notice so anyone who is filing

settle status application just beware

monzo bank statements avoid using them

or at least provide alternate evidences

during the same period that you are

trying to use this statement for so yeah

that's the only thing that I wanted to

talk about in this video if you do like

such videos do subscribe to our Channel

also there are many people who I have

launcher accounts and will be filing

several status applications and may be

using uh this as evidence so uh

especially there if there are youngsters

and all teenagers going through

universities and all their living with

parents they may not have much evidence

to prove that they are physically in the

UK this may be one of the easiest way to

prove it so yes uh there may be

individuals who will file setlist status

applications may not be now maybe next

year maybe the year after but they may

be stuck so just

uh it's very important you do like and

subscribe to our channel so that YouTube

throws it to others who are in need and

while going to file settle status

applications they they may get some help

by watching this video and yes do

subscribe to our Channel and thank you

very much for watching