Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an alternative means to prove settler status for EU Nationals, such as a (a) mobile application where a pdf download can be held and (b) telephone service where paper copies can be ordered to avoid future instances of problems caused by the Government website being inaccessible.
We are developing a border and immigration system which is “digital by default” for all migrants, which over time means we will increasingly replace physical and paper-based products and services with accessible, easy to use online and digital services.
Individuals continue to receive written notice of their immigration status by email or letter, which they can keep for their personal records if they wish and can use when contacting the Home Office.
Should users find themselves unable to access their digital status information online, we already have a call centre which can assist them to use the service, and where necessary, enable individuals’ status to be verified through alternative means.