LONDON – On Friday, European Parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt said that Brexit does not automatically deport citizens of the European Union who have not applied to remain in Britain after Brexit.
Verhofstadt met with British Ministers on Thursday and said that he had been reassured that a grace period would be granted to those who have not applied for the “settled status” scheme by the deadline of June 2021.
There will be no automatic deportation for those people even after the grace period. After this period, there will a possibility to apply while explaining the grounds of why it was not possible to apply within the normal procedures.
In November, Britain threatened to deport EU citizens who failed to apply on time and only in exceptional circumstances would leniency be granted.
Over 2.7 million of the 3.5 million EU nations in Britain applied. This week, the EU expressed concerns about conflicting signals on those who do not apply in time.
EU citizens granted a settled status need to be given a physical document to prove they can remain, and Britain is exploring the possibility of this. A settlement scheme will grant these people a secure digital status proofing their rights and passport and ID card links.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field
