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Last week the Home Office published their EU Settlement Scheme Statement of Intent, the first clear indication of the rights of EU citizens living in the UK after...

On Thursday, the Home Office published their EU Settlement Scheme: Statement of Intent. This statement provides the first clear indication of the future rights of EU citizens living in the UK.

The statement makes clear who can apply for both settled status – allowing EU citizens who have been here for five years indefinite leave to remain in the UK - and pre-settled status – allowing EU citizens in the UK who have not yet accumulated five years to remain in the UK until they qualify for settled status.

Similarly, it sets out provisions for the transition period, allowing EU citizens and their family members who arrive during the transition period to apply for pre-settled status, enabling them to stay until they have reached the five-year threshold.

We also now have clarity on criteria and cost for those applying for settled status. Applicants must submit proof of identity (e.g.  a passport), pass a criminality check (all convictions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and only those considered a serious or persistent criminal or threat to national security will be declined); verify identity by taking a photo of oneself and uploading either via the app or website application; and prove residence in the UK (e.g. by providing a National Insurance Number, P60s or utility bills). techUK supports the reduced cost of application for children and welcomes clarity on costing by the Home Office; £65 for an adult application and £32.50 for children under the age of 16.

Similarly, it is heartening to see the Home Office apply the principle of one-time costs for applications for settled status – e.g. if you have paid for an indefinite leave application previously, you do not have to pay to apply for settled status again; and if you paid for your pre-settled status application, you do not have to pay for your settled status application five years’ later. Transparency of costs and add on fees are a clear problem for the UK’s rest of world migration system and we hope government will be this transparent with costs when creating a post-Brexit migration system.

However, what is most important in the Statement of Intent is the tone it strikes. It is clear that those granted settled status will have the same access as they currently do to healthcare, pensions and other benefits in the UK. Similarly, the statement makes clear that both EU and non-EU dependents will be able to apply for both pre- and settled status. Both access to welfare and the ease of which dependents can apply are of crucial for the tech sector as we seek to attract young professionals into the UK and want to encourage them to start a life and remain here. 

The system will be phased in – with the first phase rolling out this Summer, the intention being to have it fully open by March 2019. We hope that this means the Home Office will be able to correct issues as they crop up and continue listening and responding to stakeholders concerns. techUK are pleased to see the Government’s commitment to get this right from the get-go to ensure a smooth transition for EU citizens who have made the UK their home.