Brighton and Hove Greens have issued a reminder of the looming deadline for the government’s EU Settlement Scheme.
The scheme applies to people from European Union (EU) countries as well as Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland – and their families – and the Greens said: “We want you to stay.”
The deadline to apply for settled status in the United Kingdom (UK) is tomorrow (Wednesday 30 June).
The scheme was set up in response to Britain’s exit from the EU – known as Brexit – and affects tens of thousands of people living in Brighton and Hove.
The Greens said: “As the latest figures show that more than 28,000 EU citizens living in Brighton and Hove have applied for the scheme, the council has been running an information campaign to ensure that any EU citizens remaining do not miss out.
“EU citizens and those from Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and their family members, who do not apply for settled status will lose their right to stay in the country, even if they were born in the UK or have permanent residence.
“This means they will lose access to their right to continue to work, study and access healthcare and benefits. In a worst-case scenario, this could also lead to deportation.”
Brighton and Hove City Council’s Brexit lead, Green councillor Marianna Ebel, said: “While we remain clear that Brexit has caused devastation for families and that the need to apply for this scheme is unjust, we want to ensure that our EU family stays in the city.
“We are proud of the work Brighton and Hove City Council has been doing to raise awareness of the scheme and help our residents apply – from purchasing scanners to help with document scanning, to personalised support through partner organisations for vulnerable EU citizens and large-scale communication campaigns.
“But we want to ensure that EU citizens who have not yet had the chance to apply do not miss out.”
