Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of not providing official confirmation of (a) protected rights and (b) a pending application to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) on the rights of EU nationals and relevant family members while they wait for a decision on that application to the EUSS.

Under the Citizens’ Rights (Application Deadline and Temporary Protection) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, those who apply before the deadline, but whose application is not decided until after it, will have their existing EU law rights protected pending the outcome of their application, including any appeal.

Those who have submitted a valid EUSS application by 30 June 2021 will be issued with a certificate of application. Pending the outcome of the application, they will be able to rely on their certificate of application as proof of eligibility to access their right to work or rent when this is verified by the Home Office employer and landlord checking services.

The Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue & Customs will also be able to determine an individual’s status with the Home Office using existing services.