Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to support employers whose employees are awaiting EU Settlement Scheme application decisions.

Employers will maintain a continuous statutory excuse against liability for a civil penalty if the initial checks were undertaken in line with legislation and published guidance at the time they were undertaken.

Employers will not be required to conduct retrospective checks on existing employees if the initial check was undertaken on or before 30 June 2021.

We will shortly be updating our guidance for employers to ensure they are clear on the steps they should take from 1 July.