Report Says Thousands of EU Citizens Face Possible Legal Limbo in UK as Settled Status Scheme Ends - FARS

(FNA)- A new report warned that hundreds of thousands of European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) nationals and their children in the UK are in danger of finding themselves in a post-Brexit legal limbo on July 1.

The academic campaign group UK in a Changing Europe highlights the fact that unless these citizens meet the government deadline and apply by June 30 for settled or pre-settled status, ahead of the curtailment of the EU Settled Status scheme, their work, rent and retirement rights are at risk, Sputnik reported.

“If applicants cannot demonstrate they have a ‘right to reside’, they will lose their rights immediately, even if their application is valid. This is likely to impact most severely upon vulnerable applicants with complicated cases. Given delays in processing applications this difference in treatment could become quite significant,” warns the report.

The EU Settled Status scheme grants European Union nationals (as well as those from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland) and some family members to apply for ‘settled status’ or, if they have less than five years residence, ‘pre-settled status’.

Alarms have been sounded in “The EU Settlement Scheme” report that while some people have already applied, they are still awaiting a decision from the Home Office.

If they miss the deadline, they may be unable to prove their status when trying to access National Health Service (NHS) services, or travelling.

320,000 people, according to official statistics, are still awaiting a decision on their ‘status – settled status’.