UK has introduced a new scheme for EU citizens to get money against leaving the UK. EU residents are being offered financial incentives to leave the UK. The EU citizens have been quietly covered in the government’s voluntary return scheme since January 1 where financial assistance is offered to encourage them to return to their homeland. EU citizens are being offered financial incentives to leave the UK, several months before the deadline to apply for the settlement scheme. The leaving the UK scheme may include flight expenses and resettlement up to £ 2,000.
On the other hand, the government also claims that EU Settlement Scheme has been extremely successful as UKBA has so far received 4.9 million applications. The EU Settlement Scheme was launched on 30 March 2019.
| Area name | Applications received
(till 31 December 2020) |
| England | 4.4 million |
| Scotland | 243,600 |
| Wales | 80,700 |
| Northern Ireland | 78,500 |
People working to assist vulnerable EU citizens in the UK say the provision of money for repatriation refutes the government’s claim that it is doing everything possible to register people for resettlement status. The deadline to apply for the EU Resettlement Scheme (EUSS) for Europeans living in the UK is June 30. Benjamin Morgan, who runs the EU’s Homeless Rights Project at the Public Interest Law Center, said: “Our case makes it clear that the EU’s most vulnerable citizens have not yet resolved their status. Barriers to application and delays are important factors in Home Office selection making. “This mixed message significantly undermines the government’s claim that the rights of vulnerable Europeans will be protected in the aftermath of Brexit.” A Home Office spokesman said: “Some people may elect not to obtain EUSS status and do not wish to stay in the UK after the deadline. That is why we have written to stakeholders informing them. EEA citizens who wish to leave the UK may be eligible for assistance under the Voluntary Return Scheme.
The topic came into consideration when Joint Council for Migrant Welfare (JWCI) made a research about it and found many EU citizens will be badly hit by EUSS deadlines. The report further states that thousands of European citizens are currently fulfilling key roles in the care sector, as well as work in construction, manufacturing, and agriculture. The perpetrators are at risk of losing their legal status and face removal from the UK. The report called for the immediate lifting of the deadline for European citizens to apply for EUSS for automatic resettlement status and the elimination of “hostile environment” policies. Many other organizations are also pointing fingers at the current ongoing leave of the UK scheme.
On the other hand, the government has answers for such surveys and reports. Immigration Minister Kevin Foster said the JCWI’s report paints an incredibly misleading picture of the EU’s resettlement scheme because it Relied on small surveys. “We now have had about 4.9 million applications for the EU’s most successful settlement scheme”, he said.
With less than six months to go before the June 30, 2021 deadline, I would encourage all eligible individuals to apply for protection of their rights under UK law. Extensive support is available on-line and by way of the telephone if you need it, and we’re funding seventy-two organizations throughout the UK to make sure no one is left behind.
Even if you have lived in the UK for many years, or you have the UK Permanent residency document, you still need to apply for the EU settlement scheme. You do not need to apply if you have one Immovable vacation or entry, however you can if you wish. Citizens of the EU, EEA, or Switzerland can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK (by 31 December 2020) after 30 June 2021. Citizens of Ireland with a PR status in the UK do not need to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme. There is no fee to apply for the scheme. The Home Office has a devoted group of about 1,500 individuals working at the EU Settlement Scheme, with help accessible seven days per week by phone and by email. The authorities have given up to £17 million to a network of 72 organizations across the UK that support vulnerable individuals applying for the scheme. With under a half year to go before the EU Settlement Scheme’s application cutoff time of 30 June 2021, European residents are being asked to apply now to make sure about their rights in UK law. The EU Settlement Scheme utilizes forefront innovation, including the EU Exit: ID Document Check application which permits individuals to apply from their own home in as meager as 15 minutes.
Who can apply for the EU settlement scheme?
Following people can apply for the scheme:
- the nationals of the EU, EEA, or Switzerland (the EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.)
- the family members of EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen (the citizens of Ireland are allowed to apply to)
in some cases, you can also apply if:
- you’re the family member of a British citizen who also has EU, EEA, or Swiss citizenship and who lived in the UK as an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen before getting British citizenship
- you’re the child of an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen who used to live and work in the UK or the child’s primary carer
- you used to have an EU, EEA, or Swiss family member living in the UK (but you’ve separated, they’ve died or the family relationship has broken down)
- you’re the family member of a British citizen and you lived outside the UK in an EEA country together
- you’re the primary carer of a British, EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen
- you have a family member who is an eligible person of Northern Ireland
The citizens of the following countries are eligible for the EU settlement scheme:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Republic of Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland 1
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Orange
- The Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland