Campaigners are calling on Sir Keir Starmer to fix the “broken” EU settlement scheme to avoid what they say could otherwise be “another Windrush scandal”.
The EU settlement scheme (EUSS) was designed to confirm the immigration status of EU citizens who requested permission to live and work in the UK, now freedom of movement with Europe has ended.
Grassroots organisations representing EU citizens in the UK are now calling on the new Labour government to ensure the rights of people who have lived in the UK since before Brexit are upheld.
They said this is important “to avoid another Windrush scandal and improve relations between the UK and the EU”.
The Windrush scandal, which came to light in 2018, saw hundreds of Caribbean immigrants in the UK wrongly targeted by immigration enforcement, with many detained or deported.
The new letter, signed by 76 organisations, urges the Prime Minister to step in and make changes to the EU Settlement Scheme.
They say some vulnerable people are suffering as a result of the scheme, by being refused immigration status and “struggling to prove their rights”.
They add that more 137,000 people remain stuck in the the Home Office’s backlog.
Campaigners are asking the new government to relieve pressure on the Home Office by automatically granting people indefinite leave to remain five years after their first application.
Andreea Dumitrache, communications manager at grassroots organisation the3million, said: “The Home Office is broken and EU citizens have been caught in its Kafkaesque system since the UK left the EU.
“We are keen to work with the new government to make sure swift action is taken to protect EU citizens’ rights to live in the UK.
“People who have lived here since before Brexit have suffered serious consequences due to the previous government’s authoritarian approach to migrants’ rights.
“If the Prime Minister is serious about repairing the relationship between the UK and the EU, then he has a golden opportunity to do so, by taking quick steps to fix the EU Settlement Scheme.
“We believe this would be a significant show of goodwill towards the EU, relieving tensions and opening the door towards a better relationship with a close ally.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The EU Settlement Scheme has provided millions of EU citizens and their eligible family members with the immigration status they need to continue living and working in the UK.
“This includes providing £32 million in grant funding to a network of organisations to help more than 500,000 vulnerable people.
“We remain committed to this work while the new Home Secretary decides on the future of departmental policies.”
Five years on from the opening of the EU Settlement Scheme, it has, to 31 March 2024, received 7.9 million applications. Some 7.8 million applications have been concluded and an estimated 5.7 million people have received a grant of status under the scheme.
The Home Office has provided £32million in grant funding to a network of organisations across the UK (to 31 March 2025), which has so far helped more than 500,000 vulnerable people apply to the EUSS.
