The Home Office has received five million applications for the EU Settlement Scheme
EU, EEA or Swiss citizens can apply for the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after June 30 2021. Those with pre-settled or settled status will be allowed to continue to work in the UK, use the NHS for free and access public funds such as benefits and pensions.
The Home Office has already received five million applications for the scheme, with four months to go before the June deadline.
Out of these, 4.5 million applications came from England, 252,400 from Scotland, 83,800 from Wales and 81,800 from Northern Ireland.
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, commented on the news: It is fantastic news that over five million people have applied to the hugely successful EU Settlement Scheme. It’s the biggest scheme of its kind in UK history and will mean European citizens and their families can continue to call the UK home.
The Minister for Future Borders and Immigration, Kevin Foster, echoed the sentiments, saying: It’s great news there have been more than five million applications to the EU Settlement Scheme ahead of the 30 June deadline.
My message to European citizens and their family members is simple – apply now and join the millions who have already been through the simple process to secure their status. There is plenty of support available and the new funding announced today means no stone will be left unturned in ensuring everyone gets the help they need, he said.
Under the new funding, £4.5million has been made available to a network of 72 organisations across the UK who support the vulnerable and those who find it hard to apply for the scheme.
This is on top of the £17million already provided by the state.
Moreover, the Home Office has also launched UK advertising worth £1.5million to let EU citizens and their family members know about the deadline and the need to apply.
The Home Office also has a dedicated team of more than 1,500 people working on the scheme, which provides support round the week.
The Government urged affected individuals to apply for the scheme at the earliest and noted that there is no fee for applying.