From August on, it will no longer be possible for people who applied wrongly for permanent residence cards after the vote to apply for EU settled status if they didn’t know about the special immigration plan.
Activists say that EU citizens would have to “beg” for their rights if caseworkers didn’t have clearer instructions.
“Lack of awareness” of the settlement process was no longer a reason for a late entry under the new rules.
There are claims that tens of thousands of EU citizens applied for permanent residence cards after 2016.
Due to a lack of knowledge of the EU settling process, the Home Office’s August rules no longer accepted late applications. This could mean that she was sent back to the EU.
After activists and EU citizens complained, the Home Office changed the guidelines for caseworkers to say that late applications from people with a permanent residence card “are reasonable grounds” for delays in the plan.
But lawyers from Bindmans, one of 55 groups that complained to the Home Office about the rule change in August, said that the new rules, which came out on January 16, show a big change in how the government feels about late EU settlement plan applications.
The Home Office makes it hard for an EU person who applied late for a permanent residence card instead of letting them.
It’s disappointing that the Home Office still doesn’t see an EEA permanent residence card as enough proof for a late application. Andreea Dumitrache, acting co-chief executive of 3Million, said that applications should beg, kneel, and say they’re sorry they didn’t know. “The European Union settlement scheme’s widely publicised main deadline ended more than two years ago,” a Home Office official said.
To follow the rules of the citizens’ rights deals, we will accept late applications from people with good reasons. Furthermore, the Home Office’s response to a high court order regarding the EU settlement system has caused concern.
The Independent Monitoring Authority, which looks out for the rights of EU citizens, agreed with the High Court that taking away the right to work, live in the UK, and get medical care for people who had pre-settled status (less than five years in the UK before Brexit) and didn’t ask for improved status was wrong.
Campaigners say that companies, renters, and banks might see this increase as a short-term legal risk that takes away people’s rights.
The Home Office has been successful in many cases, but some people are unsure, which makes it harder for them to live, work, and raise a family in the UK, said Miranda Biddle, CEO of the Independent Monitoring Authority.
To get more comprehensive information on UK immigration, please visit the website of UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).