EU Settlement Scheme risks new Windrush-style scandal
Saeed Pourrza
PressTV, London
The UK government has given millions of EU citizens who live in the country until the end of June to apply for settled status. It’s feared that many will miss that deadline, creating another group of undocumented migrants. Campaigners want the deadline to be extended, and say the UK government’s settlement scheme harkening back to the notorious Windrush scandal.
They have lived and worked in the UK for decades; EU citizens who’ve made the UK their home. But a UK government scheme could soon leave many of them in an uncertain situation regarding their rights and eligibility to remain in the UK, affecting every aspect of their day-to-day lives:.
It’s called the EU Settlement Scheme. Millions have already applied since Brexit. But the UK’s immigration authority only issues a digital record and glitches in the system mean many are struggling to prove their status.
As of July those who haven’t applied for bureaucratic or other reasons, and there’s a backlog of more than 300,000 of them, may have to worry about returning to the UK if they travel to their home countries.
Despite assurances that their rights will be protected in government ads, hundreds are reporting they’re unable to prove their status to landlords, banks, and employers.
The UK government says the schemes provide European citizens with a secure digital status which future-proofs their rights. But campaigners say there’s a risk of creating a new group of undocumented migrants.
So will the UK government extend the end-of-June deadline or will it risk another Windrush, the scandal that saw wrongful detentions and deportations of people living in the UK who arrived from Caribbean countries between 1948 and 1971.
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