Settlement Scheme

After months of various MP's speaking of the settlement scheme it was their intention for EU citizens and their family members - including those who fall under Surinder Singh - to use to legitimise their ongoing stay in the UK, we have finally received a little bit of clarification as to what this scheme entails:

"As Brexit negotiations continue, this is the latest information on the status of EU citizens in the UK and how you are affected.

You may have seen this week that the UK and the EU have now reached an agreement on what happens during the period immediately after Brexit, known as the implementation period. This is important as it will give citizens and businesses on both sides time to adjust before a new relationship with the EU is agreed. 

So, what has been agreed so far and how will you be affected?

EU citizens currently in the UK

The agreement on citizens’ rights reached in December has now been formalised into a draft Treaty text, meaning it is in the right form to be written into law.

The agreement means that if you are an EU citizen living in the UK before the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019 you will be able to continue to live and work in the UK. Your rights to healthcare, work arrangements and access to benefits will continue. Also, your existing close family members will be able to join you in future in the same way that they can now. 

You can read more here: Status of EU citizens in the UK: what you need to know.

From this week, EU citizens in the UK have been seeing digital adverts encouraging you to ‘stay informed’. The activity is part of an ongoing effort by the Government to build awareness about the agreement to protect EU citizens’ rights ahead of the roll-out of the settlement scheme. As a member of this mailing list, you will continue to receive the latest information on how you are affected and what action you will need to take in future. 

Settlement scheme

If you are an EU citizen or family member already living in the UK, a user-friendly scheme to enable you to secure your settled status here will open later this year. But there is no rush – you will have up until 30 June 2021 to make your application.

We will provide more information on the scheme and how to apply in the coming months. 

You do not need to do anything further at this point.

Implementation period

The agreement we reached with the EU this week extends the citizens’ rights protections above to include EU citizens and their family members arriving in the UK during the implementation period (from 30 March 2019 to 31 December 2020). This ensures that those planning to come to the UK after March next year know what the arrangements will be. During this time, new arrivals will need to register through a new Home Office registration scheme after three months in the UK. 

More information is available at UK leaving the EU: what you need to know."

Why does UK appear to be having such a hard time in Brexit negotiations?

Ron Mathot, a lecturer at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, has provided his view on the Brexit negotiations in response to a question on Quora.

It is very telling - and embarassing - that the position of UK politicians has been so unrealistic to begin with.

Settled status scheme for family members of Surinder Singhers ?

A freedom of information request by Claire, who has alerted BritCits to the response she received indicates Home Office 'intends' for family members of British citizens, here on the basis of having previously exercised free movement rights in another member state (Surinder Singh), to be eligible for UK's settled status scheme.

An intention isn't a commitment.  Given however that Phase 1 of the Withdrawal Agreement excludes family members of Surinder Singhers, this is some positive news.

What is the settled status scheme?  Our understanding is that this allows those who have lived in the UK for five years as at Brexit day, within the rules, to apply for permanent resident status.  For those who haven't quite reached the five year point on Brexit day, they will have the opportunity to apply for this status when they reach the five year point.

The details of this are not known; costs expected to be no more than that for a UK passport.

An extract of the response to the FOI request is shown below.  The full request is available here.