People with pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme will automatically have their status extended in September by two years before it expires if they have not obtained settled status, according to the New Immigration Rules presented in parliament on Monday.
The process will be completed by the Home Office and will automatically appear in the individual’s digital status. The person will then be notified of the extension. This ensures that nobody loses their immigration status if they do not apply to switch from pre-settled to settled status.
Introduced in 2018, the scheme was designed to allow EU nationals to continue to live and work in the UK following Brexit.
In December, the UK government’s Settlement Scheme for EU nationals living in the country was declared unlawful in a major High Court ruling.
Approximately 50% of the nearly seven million EU nationals to apply under the scheme were awarded ‘settled status’, which gave them permanent resident status in the UK.
However, more than 40% were granted ‘pre-settled status’, which only gave them residency rights for five years, which they would need to reapply for once those five years ran out.
“Automatic extension of pre-settled status ensures that many EU, other EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members in the UK can continue to make a hugely valued contribution to British society without fear of losing their immigration status by simply failing to apply for settled status,” said Lord Murray, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Migration and Borders, a press release published by the Home Office on Monday reads.
(Sofia Stuart Leeson | EURACTIV.com)
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