The Catholic church is urging its priests, schools and voluntary bodies to tell EU citizens in the UK that they must register under the government’s settlement scheme in order to remain in the country after Brexit.
The church is thought to have unrivalled access to EU citizens in the UK, many of whom come from Catholic-majority countries. Of the 3.7 million EU citizens living and working in the UK, the biggest group come from Poland, estimated at 1 million.
Although the church has described the scheme as “unjust and divisive” and said the fee of £65 per adult and £32.50 per child was “unprincipled”, it has nevertheless asked Catholic bodies to bring it to “the attention of all those who need to avail of it”.
Paul McAleenan, the lead bishop for migration and asylum, said the issue was of “special pastoral concern for us” as the majority of EU citizens in the UK were Catholic. Since the 2016 referendum, many had “faced profound uncertainty and insecurity about their future”, he added.
Under the scheme, EU citizens who wish to remain in the UK are required to register by 30 June 2021.
Citizens’ rights are the rights and protections offered to all EU citizens, including free movement and residence, equal treatment and a wide range of other rights under EU law regarding work, education, social security and health.
They are held by some 3.5 million citizens from other member states in the UK and about 1.2 million British nationals on the continent, and are a key part of the negotiations that are taking Britain out of Europe.
“While this is an important step we understand that, especially for people who have contributed to our society over many years, it may feel unjust and divisive that they are now require to apply for permission to stay,” said McAleenan.
Nevertheless, “we think it’s imperative that people are given the opportunity to remain legally in the country. We want to make sure the message goes out to EU citizens to apply. We have asked diocese to circulate [my statement] to priests, schools, social action organisations and so on. We do have means of contacting people.”
The church had not received any of the £9m the government has offered in grants to voluntary and community organisations to inform and support vulnerable EU citizens regarding the settlement scheme, McAleean said. “I’m not aware of any Catholic organisation which has received money.”
According to the Catholic broadcaster and author Clifford Longley, the church should refuse to cooperate with the scheme “in the hope of rendering [it] unworkable”.
He wrote in the Tablet: “The very least that the church could do is to demand the dropping of the fee as the price of its cooperation. Otherwise the church is virtually branding itself as a tax collector, while knowing full well that the tax in question is unconscionable.”
Meanwhile, the restaurant chain Carluccio’s has said it will pay the £65 fee for all its 1,550 staff in the UK who are EU citizens, saying it was what its founder, the late Antonio Carluccio, would have wanted.
“There would be no Carluccio’s without one man making the journey from Europe to London,” said its chief executive, Mark Jones. “Today we employ over 2,300 people from over 80 countries.
“A large number, just like Antonio, decided to travel from mainland Europe and make their home in the UK. We are passionate about the value that they bring to our business and it is something which we are keen to protect.”
