Mayor of London urges every European Londoner to ensure they’ve applied for settlement scheme before Christmas

• Sadiq Khan concerned European citizens may face discrimination if landlords and employers don’t understand their continuing rights in the UK from January.
• Figures show many older and more vulnerable people still unsure of how to prove their eligibility to live and work
• More outreach needed longer-term for the 603,000 European Londoners who will need to convert from pre-Settled status

With a month to go until the end of the Brexit transition period, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is today making a direct appeal to the more than 1 million European Londoners living in the capital to ensure they apply to the EU Settlement Scheme before Christmas.

European citizens living in the UK by 31st December have until 30th June 2021 to apply to the EU Settlement scheme, but today the Mayor is warning of the likelihood of people facing discrimination if third parties, such as employers or landlords do not understand their continuing rights and entitlements once tougher immigration rules come in from 1 January.

There remains a lack of clarity and information from ministers around how someone already resident in the UK will be able to prove their right to live and work here without having obtained status under the scheme by 31^st December. This could lead to European Londoners being discriminated against in a whole host of areas, despite legally being allowed to be in the UK.

New figures show the huge uncertainty that remains. A survey conducted by New Europeans UK of 270 older and more vulnerable Europeans living in the UK who have been granted their status revealed that 68 per cent of them do not know how to access or prove their eligibility for services or their right to work. 80% of respondents also said they had needed help with their application.

There are also 603,000 European Londoners in the capital who do not have 5 years’ continuous residence in the UK and will therefore have to convert their temporary pre-Settled Status to Settled Status over the coming years in order to remain in the UK. The survey revealed that 73 per cent of respondents currently do not know when and how to do this.

Based on statistics released by the Home Office last week, European citizens in London have been more likely to receive pre-Settled Status rather than Settled Status, with 44 per cent of applications in London being for pre-Settled Status compared to 40 per cent in the rest of the UK. Without more awareness and guidance available for how these 603,000 people in London can convert their status, many could lose their right to live and work in the UK without realising it.

The Mayor is calling on the Government to commit greater resources to ensuring all those with pre-Settled status know exactly how to apply for Settled status – providing long-term funding for advice, outreach and support services that reaches those from all nationalities and backgrounds.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

“EU citizens living in London are an integral part of our city. They’re our friends, our families, our neighbours and our colleagues, and like everyone else many have faced an extraordinary difficult year dealing with COVID-19. I pleased that so many European Londoners have already applied to the EU settlement scheme, but with a month to go until the end of the transition period time is now running out.

“So today I’m making a direct appeal to every European Londoner – make sure that you and all your eligible family and friends have applied to the settlement scheme before Christmas. If not, I fear you could be a victim of discrimination – from a landlord, a potential employer or anyone else who fails to distinguish between your rights and those of people arriving under the tougher immigration rules starting from January.

“More still needs to be done at all levels of Government to ensure everyone affected has the guidance and support they need to prove their right to live, work and study in the UK. We can’t risk any more people falling victim to the hostile environment that caused devastation for some in the Windrush Generation.”