Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Caroline Nokes and Ronnie Cowan

Monday 15th July 2019 Commons Chamber

[Ronnie Cowan (Inverclyde) (SNP)]

3. What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the EU settlement scheme application process.

[The Minister for Immigration (Caroline Nokes)]

EU citizens are our friends, our neighbours and our colleagues, and we want them to stay. The settlement scheme is performing well. The latest published statistics show that more than 800,000 applications have been received and the majority of people are finding it easy to apply. Additional support is available to those who are vulnerable, or who do not have the appropriate access, skills or confidence to apply online.

[Ronnie Cowan]

Instead of implementing a scheme that makes EU citizens—many of whom have lived here for a great many years—unlawfully resident if they fail to apply by December 2020, will the Minister introduce a declaratory system whereby people apply for proof of settled status rather than the right to stay?

[Caroline Nokes]

A declaratory system that did not require EU citizens to obtain status and provide evidence of it would risk causing confusion, especially among the most vulnerable, and people might struggle to prove their status in years to come. There would also be a risk of confusion among employers and service providers, and the system might impede EU citizens’ access to benefits and services to which they are entitled.