EU residents living in Newark and Sherwood urged to apply for residency or risk being shown the door

Failure to apply to the EU Settlement scheme before end of June means EU residents will lose their legal rights to live and work in the UK.

That's the stark reminder from Newark and Sherwood District Council with thousands of EU residents living and working within the district's borders.

Those that haven't are urged to urgently apply for the EU Settlement Scheme as soon as possible, before the deadline of June 30, 2021.

This applies to all EU citizens living and working in the UK. If you are unsure whether you need to apply, it is important to check. This can be done online at: www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/communityandliving/euexit/

Under the UK’s Withdrawal Agreement following the Brexit vote in 2016, the vast majority of EU citizens living in Newark and Sherwood must apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Those who fail to apply, barring some exceptions, will lose their legal rights to live and work in the UK and will become unlawful residents and in breach of UK immigration laws.

The process is designed to be simple and easily accessible.

Under the EU Settlement Scheme, which is free to apply to, applicants who have lived in the UK for five years or more will be granted ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’, also known as ‘Settled Status’ which means they can continue to live in the UK as they currently are.

Those with less than five years residency will be granted ‘Limited Leave to Remain’, also known as ‘Pre-Settled Status’ which is a grant of limited leave to remain for five years. With pre settled status you can continue to live, work and study in the UK after 30 June 2021, although this permission is effectively limited to a period of five years from the date you are granted your status.

You can then apply to change this to settled status once you’ve got five years’ continuous residence. You must do this before your pre-settled status expires.

To apply visit: www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families/applying-for-settled-status

If any resident needs any support filling out the application Sherwood and Newark Citizens

Advice can offer support and guidance. The team can be contacted by phone on 01623 861769 or email at advice@sn-ca.org.uk

The district council is currently running an awareness campaign, regarding the EU settlement scheme to engage with EU citizens and encourage them to check their eligibility and then complete an application where required. This campaign is running until the June 30 deadline and will include providing information in the most common EU languages spoken in the district.

These are available online at: www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/communityandliving/euexit/