We\u2019ve been
\nhearing a lot in the past few months about \u2018Brexit preparedness.\u2019 When 2021
\nstarts, the transition period will have ended, and the UK will have left the EU
\n\u2013 with or without a deal. The UK Government have been circulating some
\ninformation about what Brexit preparedness might look like for individuals and
\nbusinesses \u2013 but what does it look like for the EU Settlement Scheme?<\/p>\n
The
\nSettlement Scheme is the UK Government\u2019s scheme to award EU and EEA citizens
\nwho are currently living in the UK with a new immigration status. Because the
\nUK won\u2019t be in the EU, we won\u2019t be part of the EU\u2019s policy of freedom of
\nmovement, and freedom to live and work in any member country. The Settlement
\nScheme is supposed to replace this policy with a new set of immigration
\nregulations for EU citizens who have made their home here.<\/p>\n
There are
\nover 3.5 million EU nationals who have made their homes in the UK. As Churches,
\nwe want to be part of a welcoming society, one which values the contribution
\nand presence of all who live in it. That means that as our thoughts turn to
\nBrexit preparedness, it\u2019s vital that we keep the rights of EU citizens at the
\ncentre of our thoughts \u2013 especially EU citizens who might find it more
\ndifficult to apply for the Settlement Scheme.<\/p>\n
The Lots of EU For The good Brexit The post What does Brexit preparedness look like for the EU Settlement Scheme?<\/a> appeared first on Joint Public Issues Team<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019ve been hearing a lot in the past few months about \u2018Brexit preparedness.\u2019 When 2021 starts, the transition period will have ended, and the UK will have left the EU \u2013 with or without a deal. The UK Government have been circulating some information about what Brexit preparedness might look like for individuals and businesses […]
\ndeadline for applications is at the end of June 2021, but immigration advice
\ncharity Settled<\/a> strongly advise that applications are made
\nbefore the end of 2020. That\u2019s because the six-month period after that is a
\n\u2018grace period\u2019, allowing EU citizens more time to apply, but it\u2019s possible that
\nit will become more difficult for EU citizens to prove their right to be here
\nafter we leave the EU. This can lead to difficulty accessing housing, jobs,
\nhealthcare or benefits. So the sooner applications are made, the better.<\/p>\n
\ncitizens have already applied and been awarded a new immigration status. But
\nthere are still EU citizens in our congregations and communities who have not
\nbeen able to apply for the scheme \u2013 either because they don\u2019t know about it, or
\nbecause they find the process of application to be more challenging. That can
\nbe because of digital exclusion, because the process is all online, or because
\nthe documents needed to prove residency can be really hard to get together for
\nsome people.<\/p>\n
\nexample, if you\u2019re homeless it\u2019s so much harder to put together evidence of
\nbeing in the UK: you might not have any evidence of rent or mortgage payments,
\nor utility bills. If you\u2019re a survivor of domestic abuse or exploitation, it
\nmight be impossible for you to access your identification documents. Or if you
\ndon\u2019t have access to a smartphone, scanning documents can be really
\nchallenging.<\/p>\n
\nnews is that there\u2019s lots of support on offer for applying to the Scheme, most
\nof it provided by charities like Settled. If you think that you could signpost
\nsomeone in your community towards these resources to make sure that they can
\nstay in the UK after Brexit, check out our information and
\nresource bank here.<\/a><\/p>\n
\npreparedness looks like a lot of things. Paul Morrison, a policy advisor at
\nJPIT, has put together some ideas about how Christians might pray for Brexit here<\/a>, and Church leaders released a letter<\/a> in January
\n2020 about how
\nwe might want a world after Brexit to look. But one thing that should
\ndefinitely be included in Brexit preparedness is a commitment to the rights of
\nall citizens living in the UK. So if you\u2019re in a position to help EU citizens
\nstay in their homes after Brexit look through our resources here<\/a> and see what you can do to help.<\/p>\n
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