EU Settlement Scheme applications pass 3 million mark

The UK Government has confirmed that it has now received more than 3 million applications to the EU Settlement Scheme.

The milestone was reached less than a year after the scheme was fully launched to the public, with more than 2.7 million EU citizens already granted settled status.

To apply, EU citizens need to complete 3 key steps – prove their identity, show that they live in the UK and declare any criminal convictions.

“I’m delighted that there have already been more than 3 million applications to the hugely successful EU Settlement Scheme,” said Home Secretary Priti Patel. “It’s the biggest scheme of its kind in British history and means that EU citizens can evidence their rights for decades to come.”

The news comes as a new wave of advertising begins next week to encourage those who have not yet applied to do so. It builds on the £3.75 million campaign which supported the full scheme launch in March 2019.

Adverts will appear on catch-up TV, radio, online and social media over the coming weeks, with some also in Polish, Romanian, Italian, Lithuanian and Portuguese newspapers.

The highest number of applications processed in a single month was in October 2019 when more than 400,000 people secured their status under UK law. Home Office caseworkers have been processing up to 20,000 applications a day.

Article published 7th February 2020