Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department collects on the reasons why EU citizens with settled status request proof of that status.

Individuals granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme can use the online ‘view and prove’ service, to view their immigration status information and to share it with a third party.

The individual is asked to select whether they are proving their right to work, their right to rent or proving for something else, to ensure the appropriate information is provided, and is then able to preview the information that will be shared and generate a share code. The third party can use this share code to access the relevant information, using the following services – ‘view a job applicant’s right to work details’, ‘view a tenant’s right to rent in England’ and ‘check someone’s immigration status’. The service used will depend on the reason why the check is being conducted. Within the ‘check someone’s immigration status’ service checkers are asked to choose why they are carrying out the check.

Information on usage of online status services is published as part of the Home Office’s quarterly migration transparency data;

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-data-november-2020

The transparency data contains information on the number of views by checkers on the ‘check someone’s immigration status’ service, as well as the reason for check given by the checker when using that service. Purpose of check is collected so we can understand how the service is being used and to help us identify areas for improvement. It is also stored as part of the audit record of the check. Where a checker specifies a reason other than the pre-set options this data is not published.