The number of EU nationals in Britain applying for settled status after Brexit has plummeted in the last two months, prompting fears that the coronavirus pandemic has made it more difficult for people to register.
New government figures show just 67,300 applications were made to the EU settlement scheme in April, compared with 235,800 in February.
Campaigners said the stark drop demonstrated how the closure of phone advice lines, local scanning centres, the inability to send in documents and a drop in face-to-face support had affected people’s ability to apply.
Kuba Jabłonowski, a researcher with citizens’ rights group the3million, said the statistics showed that the settlement scheme had “slowed down massively”.
He added: “Yes, it’s still ticking along, but for many applicants the clock just started ticking much faster. The scheme is slower, and the deadline is approaching.
“It’s impossible to maintain now that closures of phone advice lines, local scanning centres, and inability to send in documents had no impact.”
John Vassiliou, partner at McGill and Co solicitors, told The Independent he had noticed “significant delays” in straightforward non-complex EU settled status applications, citing one case where a child client who had been waiting for a decision since January, despite all his family having been granted by March.
“It’s left the family stressed and concerned about the child’s application. I contacted the Home Office to ask about the delay and was simply told that ‘the case is currently under consideration’. This has not provided any explanation for the delay and is far from reassuring,” he said.
There is also concern among the 57 charities that have been awarded funding by the Home Office to support vulnerable EU nationals apply to the scheme, who say providing this help is considerably more challenging when they cannot meet applicants in person.
Home Office support services for EU settlement applicants have been reduced during the pandemic due to the lockdown, and people have been unable to submit identity evidence by post, but the department said these services were reopening next week.
Responding to the latest figures, Kevin Foster, the minister for Future Borders and Immigration, said: “EU citizens continue to make huge contributions to our country with many European doctors and nurses playing a key role on the front line in the fight against Coronavirus.
“I am pleased we’ve already had more than 3.5 million applications to the EU Settlement Scheme, with over a year left until the deadline. I encourage all those who haven’t already done so to apply now.”
