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Call for government to extend EU Settlement deadline
Bristol’s mayor has warned there could be significant repercussions if the government fails to extend the deadline for the EU Settlement Scheme.
Marvin Rees has joined other city leaders in calling on the home secretary to extend the current cut off date of June 30 for EU citizens to apply to remain in the UK.
He said it is still not known how many people need to apply and warned there is a “significant risk many EU nationals will unknowingly become undocumented migrants”.
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In a letter to home secretary Priti Patel, Rees and city leaders from Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow, Sheffield and Nottingham also requested that the government provide clear guidance on how late applications will be dealt with.
It comes amid concern that older EU nationals in particular in Bristol may not be aware that they need to apply. So far, only two per cent of applicants in the city have been from the 65 and above age group. There’s also fears that parents who have applied for themselves may not realise they need to apply on behalf of their children as well.
Marvin Rees has joined others in calling for the government to extend the EU Settlement Scheme – photo by Lisa Whiting Photography
Rees said: “On July 1, there is a significant risk many EU nationals will unknowingly become undocumented migrants. The repercussions and impact of this would be significant.
“We simply do not have the information to indicate how many more people are yet to apply, and in Bristol, as with much of the country, we’ve seen higher than expected application numbers.”
Once EU citizens in the UK have been granted either pre-settled or settled status, they will have a right to stay and work, study, use the NHS and rent a home.
Census data from 2011 indicated that 21,000 EU citizens live in Bristol. To date, more than double this number – 46,300 – have applied. With the most recent census taking place in March this year, there are calls to extend the deadline until after the 2021 census data becomes available so councils can ensure all relevant citizens have been contacted.
Bristol City Council and advice centres have run a number of outreach activities, including a series of webinars for those who work with potentially vulnerable people who need to apply to the scheme.
However, with lockdown, most of those who need help with their application have not been able to access the face-to-face support they need. Now lockdown is easing, there are less than 50 days until the deadline, potentially resulting in missed or late applications.
More information on the EU Settlement Scheme and how to apply is available via www.bristol.gov.uk/EUSettlement.
Main photo by Joab Smith
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