Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2018 to Question 146070 on immigration: EU nationals, what factors or variables might result in an application for settled or temporary status being considered non-standard.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Learning lessons from applicants’ experiences of the existing routes for obtaining EEA documentation, the UK is designing a streamlined, user-friendly, digital application process for the settlement scheme.
We are developing a system which draws on existing government data, for example, employment records held by HMRC will be checked, which will, for the majority, verify residence as a worker. We will not seek to account for undocumented periods where we are satisfied that, overall, the residence requirements have been met. We will verify identity and are considering digital ways to do this in order to make it both secure and user-friendly.
Applicants who are not yet able to evidence the 5 years’ continuous residence necessary to obtain settled status, but who can evidence that they were resident before the specified date, will be given temporary status. This will enable them to remain in the UK until they have built up 5 years’ continuous residence allowing them to apply for settled status.
We will be providing further detail on the scheme in due course.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his Answer of 24 May 2018 to Question 146070 on immigration: EU nationals, how his Department will define what a standard application is in respect EU citizens applying for settled or temporary status.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Learning lessons from applicants’ experiences of the existing routes for obtaining EEA documentation, the UK is designing a streamlined, user-friendly, digital application process for the settlement scheme.
We are developing a system which draws on existing government data, for example, employment records held by HMRC will be checked, which will, for the majority, verify residence as a worker. We will not seek to account for undocumented periods where we are satisfied that, overall, the residence requirements have been met. We will verify identity and are considering digital ways to do this in order to make it both secure and user-friendly.
Applicants who are not yet able to evidence the 5 years’ continuous residence necessary to obtain settled status, but who can evidence that they were resident before the specified date, will be given temporary status. This will enable them to remain in the UK until they have built up 5 years’ continuous residence allowing them to apply for settled status.
We will be providing further detail on the scheme in due course.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information will be required of EU citizens applying for (a) temporary and (b) settled status.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The application system for the EU exit settlement scheme will be streamlined, user-friendly and draw on existing government data to minimise the burden on applicants to provide evidence.
Every applicant will be required to provide proof of their identity and nationality, and declare any criminal convictions. They will also need to provide basic contact details and a recent photograph of themselves. Those that have them will also be asked to provide their national insurance number and the reference numbers of any documents previously issued to them by the Home Office.
In some cases, where the existing government data is not sufficient to confirm the applicant’s qualification for either settled or temporary status, they may need to provide additional evidence of their residence in the UK.
We will publish further details in due course.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil servants will be engaged in the function of handling applications by EU citizens for temporary or settled status in the UK in the period between that application process opening and the end of the implementation period for the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We are fully committed to ensuring that our operational teams have the re-sources they need to run an efficient and effective migration system. To this end, recruitment is underway to bring existing UKVI European Casework staffing levels to circa 1,500 ahead of the EU Exit Settlement Scheme launch at the end of this year.
Operational units across the Home Office actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand. Any resultant changes to resource requirements will be factored into strategic planning.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what target his Department has been set for the processing of applications by non-UK EU citizens for (a) temporary and (b) settled status.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We are developing a streamlined, user-friendly, digital application process for the EU Settlement Scheme, which draws on existing government data to minimise the burden on applicants.
As the then-Immigration Minister, my Right Honourable Friend, the Member for Great Yarmouth told the Home Affairs Select Committee on 21 November 2017, our aim is to process standard applications in a couple of weeks.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the Government's policy is on the status of non-UK EU citizens who fail to apply for (a) temporary (b) settled status by 31 December 2020.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
EU citizens and their family members who are covered by our agreement with the EU on citizens’ rights, and who have not obtained UK immigration status under the settlement scheme by the end of the grace period, 30 June 2021, will technically have no lawful basis to remain in the UK. However, the draft Withdrawal Agreement provides that where there are reasonable compassionate or practical grounds for missing the deadline, those persons will be allowed to submit an application within a reasonable further period of time. A proportionate approach will be taken and cases will be considered on their individual merits.
The application fee for the EU exit settlement scheme will not exceed the cost charged to British citizens for a UK passport. Those who already hold a valid EU permanent residence document or a valid document evidencing their Indefinite Leave to Remain will be able to exchange this for a new settled status free of charge. Full details of the application fee will be published in due course.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what charges are levied on non-UK EU citizens applying for (a) temporary status (b) settled status.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
EU citizens and their family members who are covered by our agreement with the EU on citizens’ rights, and who have not obtained UK immigration status under the settlement scheme by the end of the grace period, 30 June 2021, will technically have no lawful basis to remain in the UK. However, the draft Withdrawal Agreement provides that where there are reasonable compassionate or practical grounds for missing the deadline, those persons will be allowed to submit an application within a reasonable further period of time. A proportionate approach will be taken and cases will be considered on their individual merits.
The application fee for the EU exit settlement scheme will not exceed the cost charged to British citizens for a UK passport. Those who already hold a valid EU permanent residence document or a valid document evidencing their Indefinite Leave to Remain will be able to exchange this for a new settled status free of charge. Full details of the application fee will be published in due course.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that data relating to the immigration and residence applications and status of EU citizens is stored securely.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Home Office is producing a new, simplified digital system for applications for settled status, the EU Settlement Scheme. Individuals’ status will be recorded electronically and the Home Office will have a long-term record of EU citizens and their family members who are living here with settled status. Those records and relevant Home Office data will be stored securely in accordance with relevant legislation and Home Office data security standards which apply across all data sets within the Home Office. We will provide methods for applicants to view, update and confirm that their data is still on file.
The Settlement Scheme is still being developed and discussed with stakeholders, and we will be setting out further details in the coming months.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that EU citizens making immigration or residency applications will be able to confirm that their relevant data and documentation is still on file with his Department after June 2021.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Home Office is producing a new, simplified digital system for applications for settled status, the EU Settlement Scheme. Individuals’ status will be recorded electronically and the Home Office will have a long-term record of EU citizens and their family members who are living here with settled status. Those records and relevant Home Office data will be stored securely in accordance with relevant legislation and Home Office data security standards which apply across all data sets within the Home Office. We will provide methods for applicants to view, update and confirm that their data is still on file.
The Settlement Scheme is still being developed and discussed with stakeholders, and we will be setting out further details in the coming months.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the total number of additional staff her Department will need in order to process EU citizens’ immigration and residence status and permanent residency applications ahead of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Recruitment is underway to bring existing UKVI European Casework staffing levels to circa 1,500 ahead of the EU Exit Settlement Scheme launch at the end of this year.
Operational units across the Home Office actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand and will continue to do so throughout negotiations and as the UK leaves the EU. Any resultant changes to resource requirements will be factored into strategic planning.