EU Settlement Scheme doubles the rejection numbers

 

As a counterpoint, during the previous 10 months from the inception of the EU Settlement Scheme, only seven individuals had been rejected. 

 

Amongst the reasons given for the increase was the Home Office's decision to start refusing what have been described as "ineligible" applications. These claims had seemingly been in the "system" for months and staff had made "repeated unsuccessful attempts" to obtain missing evidence or information from the applicant.

 

Kevin Foster, MP, the Immigration Minister commented, "We're always looking for reasons to grant status, and refusals are a last resort. However, we've been clear applications will be refused where an individual is a serious or persistent criminal, or does not meet the eligibility criteria for the scheme."

 

Further comment was made that, "Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, applicants have still had access to a range of support either online, by email, or telephone. Often our caseworkers will have also worked for months to get in touch with an individual to help them provide the evidence required and if someone has been refused they have until June 30 2021 to make another application."

 

Additionally the EU SEttlement Scheme has also seen a large rise in "invalid" applications. These are instances where individuals have failed to provide the necessary initial information. 

 

To this point 23,900 applications have been declared void or withdrawn.

 

Director of Oxford University's Migration Observatory, Madeleine Sumption, commented that a number of the refusals would be from known criminals and that some applications would be fraudulent.

 

She said, "The others could be people who are eligible but cannot provide any documentary evidence or fall off the tracks for some reason because of a vulnerability of some kind. It is very difficult at this stage to know anything more."

 

To this point the figures, published in April, show show that 3.47 million EU citizens have applied to carry on living and working in the UK after freedom of movement. Of this number 3,147,000 have been granted permission to remain in the UK.

 

Mandy Peters Solicitors 

Lewisham