Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of EEA nationals that will not have applied to the EU settlement scheme by (a) 30 June 2021 and (b) 31 December 2020 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

The Home Office has put in place a comprehensive communications and engagement plan and is working with a range of stakeholders to ensure that all those who are eligible to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme do so by the relevant deadline.

We are encouraged by the initial number of applications, well over one million people have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme, but recognise that we must continue to raise awareness of the Scheme to ensure that all resident EEA and Swiss citizens are aware of the steps they need to take to secure their status in the UK. Advertising and local events are underway to support the cross government Get Ready campaign and further publicity will roll out over the lifetime of the Scheme. All available channels will be used to reach our audiences – such as direct marketing, radio, video-on-demand and outdoor advertising, presentations, email updates, toolkits and webinars to name a few – to direct EU citizens towards reliable sources of information on GOV.UK and the application itself.

We have made clear that we will take a proportionate approach to anyone who misses the deadline and will make provision for those who have reasonable grounds for doing so to apply after the deadline. Those who apply before the deadline but whose application is not decided until after the deadline will have all their rights protected until their application is concluded.