Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle delays to applications for the EU Settlement Scheme.

Our aim is to process all applications to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) as quickly as possible.

We currently have 1,500 UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) European Casework staff in post. We are committed to ensuring our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system, and we actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand.

Each individual case is considered on its own facts, which means some cases will inevitably take longer than others to conclude. Cases may take longer dependent if, for example, the applicant is facing an impending prosecution or has a criminal record.

The following link lists the expected processing times for EU Settlement Scheme applications, based upon current performance:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-application-processing-times/eu-settlement-scheme-pilot-current-expected-processing-times-for-applications

The rights of those EU citizens and their family members who were lawfully resident at the end of the transition period and who, from 1 July 2021, have a pending application under the EUSS made by the deadline, or an appeal against the refusal of an application submitted by then, will be protected until their application is finally determined.