IMA welcomes confirmation that Home Office will not pursue appeal in EU Settlement Scheme case

The Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens’ Rights Agreements (IMA) has welcomed confirmation that the Home Office will not proceed with its appeal against a High Court judgment regarding the rights of citizens with pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).

The IMA, which brought the case, was recently successful in challenging the Home Office’s position that citizens with pre-settled status must make a second application to the EUSS or face losing their rights under Part 2 of the Withdrawal Agreement. The court agreed that it was unlawful for citizens to lose their rights if they failed to either apply for settled status, or re-apply for pre-settled status, before the expiry of their pre-settled status.

Chief Executive of the IMA, Dr Kathryn Chamberlain said:

“We are pleased that the Home Office has taken the decision not to proceed with the appeal, which we hope will ensure clarity for more than two million citizens in advance of the expiry of their pre-settled status.

“We have already begun discussing with the Home Office how the IMA will be engaged as part of the Home Office’s work to make the necessary changes to the EUSS. We hope that being part of that process will ensure the IMA can monitor those changes as they are developed, and also ensure that they are sufficiently promoted amongst citizens.”

Until the new arrangements are in place, citizens with pre-settled status are encouraged to apply for settled status under the EUSS as soon as they are eligible for it.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• Read the judgment in full via the IMA’s website.
• Read other documents relating to this case on the IMA’s website including:
  • The IMA’s skeleton argument.
  • The IMA’s Statement of Facts and Grounds.
  • The IMA’s initial press release and the release about receiving permission for a hearing.

• The Citizens’ Rights Agreements refer to Part 2 of the Withdrawal Agreement and the EEA EFTA Separation Agreement (as well as the Swiss Citizens’ Rights Agreement).
• Under the EU Settlement Scheme, citizens are eligible for settled status usually when they have lived in the UK for a continuous five-year period. Those who haven’t spent a continuous five-year period in the UK are usually granted pre-settled status and can stay in the UK for a further five years before needing to either re-apply for pre-settled status or upgrade to settled status.
• According to Home Office statistics, there were approximately 2,151,270 million citizens with pre-settled status as of 31 December 2021. As of 30 September 2022, approximately 2,159,770 people held pre-settled status.