Sign up for settled status now, EU workers told

European Union nationals living in the UK are being urged to register under the EU Settlement Scheme before the end of December, rather than waiting until the deadline of June 30 next year.

David Sapsted

3 December 2020

There are fears that if Europeans wait until after the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31, there could be problems proving they were living and working fulltime in the UK while freedom of movement from the EU/EEA/Switzerland still existed.Latest government figures show that more than 4.2 million EU nationals have applied under the scheme so far - a far cry from the official estimate of 3.4 million being in the country. The total, however, excludes citizens of the Irish Republic, who are entitled to register under the scheme but do not have to because of the Common Travel Area between the UK and the republic.Now Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is appealing to the more than one million European Londoners estimated to be living in the capital to ensure they have applied under the scheme before Christmas. The mayor said he feared people who had not registered by year's end could face discrimination by employers and landlords who did not understand their continuing rights and entitlements under the new, points-based immigration system that comes into force on January 1.He said there remained a lack of clarity and information from government about how someone already resident in the UK would be able to prove their right to remain living and working in the UK if they had not registered status under the scheme by year's end.“EU citizens living in London are an integral part of our city. They’re our friends, our families, our neighbours and our colleagues, and like everyone else many have faced an extraordinary difficult year dealing with Covid-19," Mr Khan said."I pleased that so many European Londoners have already applied to the EU settlement scheme, but with a month to go until the end of the transition period, time is now running out.“So today I’m making a direct appeal to every European Londoner – make sure that you and all your eligible family and friends have applied to the settlement scheme before Christmas. If not, I fear you could be a victim of discrimination – from a landlord, a potential employer or anyone else who fails to distinguish between your rights and those of people arriving under the tougher immigration rules starting from January.“More still needs to be done at all levels of government to ensure everyone affected has the guidance and support they need to prove their right to live, work and study in the UK."The mayor pointed out that some 603,000 European Londoners did not have five years’ continuous residence in the UK and would therefore have to convert their temporary pre-Settled Status to Settled Status over the coming years to remain in the UK.Yet a recent survey conducted by New Europeans UK found among 270 older and more vulnerable Europeans living in the UK, 73 per cent of respondents did not know when and how to do this. Home Office statistics released last week showed that EU nationals in London have been more likely to receive pre-Settled Status rather than Settled Status, with 44 per cent of applications in the capital being for pre-Settled Status compared to 40 per cent in the rest of the UK.Mr Khan is now calling on the government to commit greater resources to ensuring all those with pre-Settled status know exactly how to apply for Settled status by providing long-term funding for advice, outreach and support services.