The deadline for EU citizens (resident in the UK before 1 January 2021) to legalise their stay through the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) is fast approaching.
EU citizens who have applied would have received either Pre-settled status or Settled status. Both status will allow them to continue to reside in the UK and work after 30 June 2021.
The scheme has consistently been promoted by the UK government as a simple and user friendly process and they have boasted about the number of successful applications made since the scheme opened.
Yet, according to the report by JWCI (Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants), a potentially large number of EU citizens who are vulnerable, care workers and other key workers are at risk of losing their legal status after 30 June 2021. The report "When the clapping stops: EU Care Workers after Brexit" found that:
- 1 in 7 care workers surveyed online did not know or were not sure what the EUSS was
- 1 in 3 care workers surveyed in person had not heard about the EUSS before we met them
- 1 in 3 care workers surveyed online did not know that there was a deadline for the EUSS or did not know when it was
- Over half the care workers surveyed in person didn’t know when the EUSS deadline was
The report highlights a number of concerns of EU citizens (specifically in the care sector) surrounding the scheme.
EU citizens who have not applied by the cut-off date, will lose their legal status (regardless of how long they have lived and/or how much they have contributed in the UK). They will be considered as illegal immigrants and will sadly face dealing with hostile immigration policies.
Please see the a step by step guide for how to apply here.
Our research finds that as well vulnerable EEA+ citizens, care workers and other key workers – the very people we are relying on to pull us through the COVID crisis – are in real danger of being left behind by the EU Settlement Scheme.
https://www.jcwi.org.uk/when-the-clapping-stops-eu-care-workers-after-brexit
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