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Campaign group the3million has issued a statement on the latest plans for settled status following a meeting with the Home Office.
Some clarifications were made during a meeting between the Home Office and the3million regarding some false information circulating around the future criteria required for all of us after Brexit to obtain the documentation providing evidence of our rights.
The Home Office has confirmed in accordance with the Policy Paper (of 26th June 2017) and subsequent negotiations with the Commission on Citizens’ Rights its position that EU citizens:
The Home Office has repeated that they are focusing on designing a completely new system that will easily allow EU citizens currently living in the UK to obtain documentation.
The June policy paper had said that settled status “will be evidenced through a residence document” and that officials “may also need to capture evidence of EU citizens’ biometric information”.
Without a residence document, the paper continued, “current residents may find it difficult to access the labour market and services”.
Yesterday’s announcement does not change that practical reality for EU citizens granted settled status. As Free Movement editor Colin Yeo told the Guardian, “the fact is that they will probably need de facto ID cards to prove that they were existing residents rather than new entrants, because it looks like new entrants will have to register”.
As ever, the appropriate response to unofficial Home Office assurances is scepticism.
