Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the acceptance of applications for settled status after the deadline of 30 June 2021, what are the proposed criteria for accepting those applications; what plans there are to consult with stakeholders on those criteria; and when those criteria will be published.

The Government has made clear, where a person eligible for leave under the EU Settlement Scheme has reasonable grounds for missing the application deadline of 30 June 2021, they will be given a further opportunity to apply. Our compassionate and flexible approach will ensure individuals who miss the deadline through no fault of their own can still obtain lawful status in the UK. We have not set out the criteria for what will constitute reasonable grounds for submitting an application after the deadline as we want to continue to encourage people to apply before 30 June 2021, whilst allowing the maximum possible flexibility when the situation arises. Examples will include children whose parent or guardian failed to apply on their behalf, people in abusive or controlling relationships who were prevented from applying, and those who lack the physical or mental capacity to apply. We will publish clear guidance for caseworkers in due course.