Changes made to Appendix EU of the Rules concerning EU Settlement Scheme
The Home Office today published a short new statement of changes to the Immigration Rules.
Image credit: UK GovernmentThe main statement of changes is just 8 pages long, and you can access it from here.
The changes concern the EU Settlement Scheme and the explanatory memorandum accompanying the statement describes the main changes as follows:
- To provide, in light of the European Council decision of 22 March 2019, for the scheme to be available in a 'no deal' scenario to those EEA and Swiss citizens resident here by exit and their family members; and
- To provide scope for an application for administrative review to be made in respect of a decision on an application made under the scheme outside the UK.
As the UK failed to leave the EU last week as planned, the statement of changes substitutes the date "29 March 2019" in Appendix EU of the Immigration Rules with an unspecified "date and time of withdrawal".
Meanwhile, the Government launched the EU Settlement Scheme as planned on Saturday despite the delay and uncertainty over the date of Brexit.
The Home Office said over 50,000 applications for settled status were received on the opening weekend. This is in addition to the 230,00 who applied during the testing phases of the scheme, bringing the total number of people who have applied to in excess of 280,000.
EU citizens will have until at least 31 December 2020 to apply, even if the UK leaves the EU without securing a deal.