We are really happy to announce that we are part of the next phase of the roll-out of the EU Settlement Scheme, which allows resident EU citizens and their family members to obtain their UK immigration status post Brexit.
We will run the application from 15th November to 21 December 2018 and will test the full online application process.
EDIT: We are not taking in new applications at the moment. The scheme will be made public on the 21st January and everyone who has a chip passport will be able to apply.
For the past year East European Resource Centre has been consulting the Home Office as part of community consultations regarding settled status with a focus on how to make the settled status applications more available to vulnerable people with additional support needs.
Since the announcement of the Settled Status scheme we have been expressing concern about those citizens who might be at risk of slipping through the cracks due to low life skills, lack of English, age, mental health, or circumstances such as social isolation, poverty, domestic violence and so on.
Our involvement with the second phase of the roll out of the settled scheme is meant to encourage disadvantaged Eastern European migrants to apply and to identify what kind of issues arise within the system, when applying. This will feed into the way the user guidance will be drafted and to establish what kind of support vulnerable people will need.
Brexit will forever change the immigration system for EU citizens in the UK, but more importantly people’s lives are gonna change, as many EE migrants will have to make important life decisions about staying in the country or choosing to move somewhere else. Our aim is to support those who chose to apply for the settled scheme and reach out to all the members of our communities to make them aware they need to apply for it. We want to get the most disadvantaged EE migrants successfully through Brexit and continue their lives and their integration process in the UK society.
For the past year we have been representing the interests of our communities in front of the Home Office and we believe is a really important victory to participate in the second phase of the roll out and make the voices of Eastern European migrants heard.
If you want to learn more details or want to get in touch to refer people who might want to be part of the scheme, please email voice@eerc.org.uk