Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of the EU Settlement Scheme on cross-border workers that live in Ireland but work in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Under the draft EU Withdrawal Agreement and equivalent agreements with the EFTA states, EEA and Swiss citizen frontier workers, including those who live in Ireland and work in Northern Ireland, will be able to continue to come to the UK on the same basis as now until the end of the implementation period. After that date, they can continue to come to the UK for work for as long as they continue to be frontier workers.

In the event of no deal and once free movement is ended, although the underlying legal framework will change, EEA and Swiss citizens coming for short visits for work will be able to enter the UK without a visa and stay for up to three months from each entry. This is set out in the Home Office’s policy paper which was published on 28 January and can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-immigration-after-free-movement-ends-if-theres-no-deal. Further information about frontier workers after 31 December 2020 will be published in due course.

As part of the reciprocal Common Travel Area (CTA) rights between the UK and Ireland, Irish citizens have the right to move freely between the UK and Ireland, the right to reside, the right to study, the right to access social welfare and housing and the right to vote in certain elections. The CTA rights are maintained in all outcomes of EU Exit.