Coronavirus: EU settlement applicants warned to expect delays

Image source, PA Media

EU citizens applying to settle permanently in the UK after Brexit may face delays due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Home Office says it is facing a 鈥渃hallenging time鈥 and new applications will take 鈥渓onger than usual鈥.

More than three million EU citizens have been granted permission to live and work in the UK since the scheme opened last March.

An estimated 600,000 are yet to .

In a blog post, the Home Office said telephone calls will not be answered, and it had suspended receiving paperwork from applicants by post.

Centres where identity documents can be scanned have been temporarily closed, the department added.

The Home Office said the decision to scale back services had been made following government advice for people to work from home where possible.

However it added it would keep the situation under 鈥渃onstant review鈥 and would try to reinstate services 鈥渋n line with public health guidance鈥.

In addition, it said people would still be able to apply online and use the government-approved app to authenticate their identity documents.

Advice for applicants will continue to be available online, whilst they will be able to get replies via email with a 鈥渃all back function when required鈥.

The department added: 鈥渨here a person eligible for leave under the EU settlement scheme has reasonable grounds for missing the application deadline, they will be given a further opportunity to apply.鈥

EU and European Economic Area (EEA) citizens will have to apply to stay permanently in the UK, after the country left the bloc in January.

The June 2021 deadline to make an application is six months after the UK is currently due to leave a post-Brexit transition period this December.