Further update on UK Government White Paper on Immigration
We’ve received some queries about whether the UK Government’s white paper concerning immigration would mean that EU and EEA EFTA citizens and their family members, who have rights under the Withdrawal Agreements, would be affected by a proposed new 10-year route to settlement set out in the white paper.
We raised this with the Home Office, and they have confirmed to us that this new 10-year route will not apply to beneficiaries of the Citizens’ Rights Agreements.
This is because the rights, which include those of residency and the right to work and study, conferred by the Agreements were put in place when we left the European Union and would require further agreement with the EU.
We will continue to speak with Government regarding the white paper, our initial assessment remains that the vast majority of the proposals that the government is consulting on, should not affect the majority of citizens with EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) status who have rights under the Agreements.
If, however, you are concerned that your rights have been impacted, we continue to urge you to report your concerns to us via our complaint’s portal. More information about what these rights are can be found on our website.
We would also continue to encourage eligible citizens to apply for the EUSS and for those that already have EUSS status to ensure their UK Visa and Immigration Accounts are kept up to date. More information on both is also available on our website.
We will continue to keep you updated on this issue.