Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 21 June 2019 to Question 266278, what plans her Department has to review the decision to not provide EU citizens with physical documentation confirming their settled status after the UK leaves the EU.

The Home Office is 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. This mirrors the approach adopted by other countries, such as Australia, in administering their immigration systems and the way in which people increasingly live their lives.

Individuals – including those going through the EU Settlement Scheme - will still receive written notification of their immigration status, by email or letter, which they can retain for their own records. They will also be given access to a digital version of their immigration status information, which can be accessed at any time via the online ‘view and prove’ service, and which unlike a physical document cannot be lost or stolen. It also allows individuals to view information about their status whenever they wish and share it securely with third parties such as employers or public and private service providers.

We are making this move because it provides a better level of service. Individuals have greater transparency and control over their immigration status data, and tailored digital services mean that only the information that the individual agrees to share is shown, unlike a physical document which must fulfil many purposes. Digital services also allow us to provide information in a format that is easy to understand and accessible to all users, removing the need for employers, landlords and others to interpret myriad physical documents, complex legal terminology or confusing abbreviations. Users can be confident that they are getting information direct from Home Office systems and that it tells them what they need to know.