Home Office announces significant u-turn regarding the rights of EU citizens living in the UK pre-Brexit.
The Government has announced that it is going to reverse a rule, made in August 2023, that barred EU citizens who were living in the UK pre-Brexit from making late applications on the grounds of ‘lack of awareness’.
It is estimated that tens of thousands of EU citizens, many of which had been living and working in the UK for years, applied for permanent residency cards after 2016 and as a result faced significant difficulties including risk of removal.
Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain said,
“We welcome this belated decision and with it, recognition that the Government’s needlessly hard Brexit has caused massive issues and uncertainties for millions of people here, for no benefit.
“The next government must learn from these mistakes, and go further to implement a UK-EU visa system that works for the UK, to ease labour shortages, encourage cultural exchange, and help our young people access key opportunities, training and experiences abroad.”