EU citizens will have to answer three “simple” questions online if they want to continue living in the UK after Brexit, the home secretary has said.
Sajid Javid said the government’s “default” position would be to grant, not refuse, settled status.People will be asked to prove their ID, whether they have criminal convictions and whether they live in the UK. Their answers will be checked against government databases and a decision given “very quickly”, said Mr Javid.
The £170m scheme will be compulsory for all EU citizens living in the UK – the government expects a total of 3.5 million applications.EU citizens and family members who have been in the UK for five years by the end of 2020 will be able to apply for “settled status”, meaning they are free to go on living and working in the UK indefinitely.
Those who have arrived by December 31, 2020, but do not have five years’ residence, can seek to stay until they have, at which point they can seek settled status.