FEWER than a quarter of the 235,000 European nationals living in Scotland have registered with the EU Settlement Scheme, according to Home Office figures.

By the end of July, only 51,600 had applied to join the scheme, which the UK Government said is designed to make it straightforward for EU citizens and family members to stay here after Brexit.

However, Scotland’s Immigration Minister Ben Macpherson branded the process as “demeaning”, while experts warned that the Government will not be able to bring in “meaningful restrictions” on the arrival of new EU migrants after a no-deal exit.

The scheme asks applicants to prove their identity, demonstrate that they live in the UK and declare any criminal convictions.

Macpherson said the settlement scheme had to be replaced: “It’s unacceptable that EU citizens in our communities are having to engage in this demeaning process and have been forced to live with extreme levels of uncertainty about how Brexit will affect their lives, their careers and their families.

“The Scottish Government has been consistently clear that in place of the EU Settlement Scheme, the UK Government should instead adopt a declaratory system, which would remove the need for people to make applications to continue living here.

“Our message to EU citizens is simple: this is your home, you are welcome here and we want you to stay.”

Scottish Government support included funding for Citizens Advice Scotland to give free advice to EU nationals and their families, including a helpline on 0800 916 9847.

Brandon Lewis, deputy minister for EU Exit and No Deal Preparation, said: “The contribution made to Scottish life by EU citizens and their families is a huge one and my message to them is clear – we want you to stay.”

On Monday, the Home Office said freedom of movement would end immediately in the event of a no-deal Brexit, but migration experts have said the UK has no system to work out who is legally in the country.

Oxford University’s Migration Observatory said employers will not be able to tell whether EU nationals have arrived after October 31.

Its director, Madeleine Sumption, said: “Even if the Government knew exactly what it wanted the post-Brexit immigration system to look like, it wouldn’t be possible to implement it immediately after a no-deal Brexit.

“That’s because any new restrictions on EU migration can’t be enforced unless UK employers know which EU citizens have been here for years and which ones arrived post-Brexit and have to comply with the new immigration regime.”

The team said the Government’s only way to assess which EU citizens had a right to be in the UK would be through the settlement scheme, which closes in December 2020.

As of last month, only a third of the estimated 3.3 million UK-based EU nationals had applied, leaving more than two million unregistered.

However, a spokesperson for campaign group the 3 Million, which lobbies for EU citizens in the UK, said: “There is lack of certainty about their exact number. This is because national population statistics do not include some groups of EU citizens, or their non-EU family members.

“There are also issues with accessibility of the Settled Status system itself, such as the need to use an Android phone. There is also insufficient support for applicants, especially in certain areas of the country, and in certain community languages.

“Many citizens are confused by the UK Government’s mixed messaging on the issue, which ... veered away from guarantees of rights to the threat of removing them overnight.”