CAMPAIGNERS have called for the UK Government to lift the deadline for applying to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) so nobody is forced to lose their legal status and rights.
The call came from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) which said all citizens and family members from European Economic Area countries (EEA+) should be granted automatic status – in line with a promise from Boris Johnson.
In a report on the care sector – When the Clapping Stops: EU Care Workers after Brexit – JCWI highlighted a lack of understanding and awareness of the EUSS, and found vulnerable EEA+ citizens, care and other key workers were in real danger of being left behind by the scheme.
“Large numbers of EEA+ care workers losing their legal status would devastate a care sector which was already under significant pressure before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the report warned.
“Though this research has been limited to the care sector, its findings are not.
“What is true of EEA+ care workers will be true of any EEA+ resident working long hours at low pay – worryingly low levels of awareness of the scheme and dangerously low levels of support for those who need it.”
Kevin Foster MP, Minister for Future Borders and Immigration, said the report came from a small survey sample and was conducted a year ago, painting a “misleading” picture.
He added: “We have now had almost 4.9 million applications to the hugely successful EU Settlement Scheme which is terrific news. There is now less than six months before the June 30, 2021 deadline and I would encourage all those eligible to apply now to secure their rights under UK law.”
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