Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1160525
11 LESS than a month after Bo- ris Johnson officially became the UK's prime minister, his government has announced changes to the status of EU citizens after the current deadline for UK withdrawal from the EU – October 31, 2019. The new home secretary, Priti Patel, has said that if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on that day, then free movement will end immedi- ately for all EU citizens in the UK. This has caused much anxi- ety and confusion among the almost 3.5m EU citizens in the UK – 2.5m of whom have not yet registered for set- tled status, having been given a deadline of 2020 to get it done. The previous government, led by Theresa May, made very different promises to these people. They were told that the UK wanted to "guar- antee the rights of EU citizens who are already living in Brit- ain … as early as we can.". It appears that the new govern- ment has gone back on this promise. EU citizens are still welcome to visit the UK for short trips without a visa. However, any- one planning to stay long- term after October 31 will be subject to proposed new rules if the UK leaves without a deal. So what is being planned by the new government in case of a no-deal for EU citi- zens? Change of plan Ending free movement on October 31 means that there would be no grace period for anyone who arrived after this date. A previous transition period was set to last until December 31, 2020. During this time, EU citizens arriving after Brexit day would enjoy the same rights as those who were there before. Now, EU citizens would be subject to the planned new immigration system immedi- ately. The Department of Health has also said that after Octo- ber 31, 2019, without a deal, NHS trusts will have to start to charge EU citizens for previously free treatment. This would mean NHS trusts would need to check the im- migration status of EU citi- zens seeking treatment. This proposal has already been criticised by the British Medi- cal Association. It would add more work to an NHS already under great strain. Aside from anything else, the plan has been criticised for being impractical. The previous government admit- ted in January 2019 there needed to be some time be- tween the end of freedom of movement and a new immi- gration system coming into force. This is because it would be difficult for employers, universities, landlords and others to distinguish between pre-exit residents and post- withdrawal arrivals. In par- ticular, businesses have said it will make it difficult for them to recruit workers. What do EU citizens need to do now? The advice from the Home Office to EU citizens wanting to stay in the UK beyond Oc- tober 31 is to apply for settled or pre-settled status under its EU Settlement Scheme. This has been officially open since March 30, 2019. How- ever, there are some concerns about this, too. Just over 1m applicants have already been granted set- tlement under this scheme. That's approximately 30% of the eligible population. For those who have already applied or who are in the UK before October 31, there should be no problem. How- ever, there will probably be disruption for those who ar- rive after November 1. They will not be eligible to apply for settlement. There will also be disruption for those who do not apply for EU settlement in time (and there is not much time left) and want to change jobs or move house after Brexit. Em- ployers and landlords would be required to check these individuals' immigration sta- tuses, and it could be difficult to distinguish if they arrived before or after withdrawal. There are serious concerns around certain groups of vulnerable individuals who will have most difficulty ap- plying successfully for EU settlement, such as children without a passport, women in abusive relationships or those who simply cannot read Eng- lish. Of the approximately 3.5m EU citizens in the UK, there are still 2.5 million who have yet to apply for EU Settle- ment. It is unclear how many of them are vulnerable. I have previously highlighted that if large numbers of individuals become illegally resident af- ter a certain cut-off date (for example, if free movement ends on October 31) anyone who does not have settled sta- tus but is still in the UK then could be illegal, and expelled automatically. Furthermore, this could af- fect British citizens in the EU. The current arrangement for this group of approximately 1.3m people is based on reci- procity. But ending free movement on October 31 would mean British citizens in the EU would also lose their rights to stay in the EU. In the rush to end free movement as soon as possible, rights of British citi- zens in the EU seem to have been forgotten. Another Windrush? A leaked Home Office dis- cussion document has al- ready noted that it would be practically difficult to enforce an immediate end to free movement because of vari- ous complexities in establish- ing the system. In particular, it warned of a repeat of the Windrush scandal. While the end to free move- ment will only become real- ity if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on the newest deadline of October 31, the deadlock between the EU and the UK suggests a growing likelihood of no-deal – espe- cially under Boris Johnson's new government. It is cold comfort for EU citizens in the UK and British citizens in the EU that once again citizens appear to be the bargaining chips for negotia- tions between the EU and the UK. maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 AUGUST 2019 Adrienne Yong is a lecturer at The City Law School, City, University of London OPINION Adrienne Yong Boris Johnson's immigration u-turn leaves 2.5m uncertain of their future www.creditinfo.com.mt info@creditinfo.com.mt Tel: 2131 2344 Your Local Partner for Credit Risk Management Solutions Supporting you all the way