Various events are being held across London to help EU citizens apply for settled or pre-settled status.
This comes as only just under two million citizens have applied out of a possible 3-3.5 million, as the UK is still due to leave the EU on 31 October.
EU citizens must apply for pre-settled or settled status to stay in the UK after Brexit.
The former status applies to those resident in the UK for under five years, while the latter applies to those resident over five years and is akin to indefinite leave to remain.
At an event in held in Hackney Town Hall, the local mayor said that only a quarter of EU citizens in the borough had applied for either of the statuses, based on electoral roll data.
He went on to say that he had written to the 8,000 EU citizens on the electoral register in the borough, advising them how to navigate the system and reiterating their rights post-Brexit.
The London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Islington, Camden and Enfield have been holding concurrent events this week.
At an event in Enfield, which was hosted by the EU Commission, migrants who have yet to apply for either immigration status were urged to do so.
“The system is simple… for certain citizens. There are categories [of people] that are complicated and vulnerable as far as making applications are concerned, said Chris Benn, an immigration solicitor who attended the event.
He pointed to the lack of a 100% application rate among eligible EU citizens as evidence that the communication campaign by the Home Office “has not fulfilled its absolute purpose.”
The Home Office declined to offer anyone to comment, however stated in a press briefing that “EU citizens and their families have plenty of time to apply before the deadline but we are processing complete applications in around five days.”
Submitted Article
Headline
Short Headline
Standfirst
Published Article
HeadlineLondon councils hold EU citizens info sessions as just over half apply for settled status
Short HeadlineCouncils hold EU citizens immigration advice drop-ins
Standfirst
Various events are being held across London to help EU citizens apply for settled or pre-settled status. This comes as only 1.8 million citizens have applied out of a possible 3-3.5 million, while the official Brexit date is only a week away.
EU citizens must apply for pre-settled or settled status to stay in the UK after Brexit. The former status applies to those resident in the UK for under 5 years, while the latter applies to those resident over 5 years and is akin to indefinite leave to remain.
At an event in held in Hackney town hall, the local mayor stated that only a quarter of EU citizens in the borough had applied for either of the statuses, based on electoral roll data.
He went on to say that he had written to the 8000 EU citizens on the electoral register in the borough, advising them how to navigate the system and reiterating their rights post Brexit.
The London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Islington, Camden and Enfield have been holding concurrent events this week.
At the Enfield event, which was hosted by the EU commission, EU migrants who have yet to apply for either immigration status were urged to do so.
An immigration solicitor, Chris Benn, was at the event and said that while the system was ‘simple… for certain citizens,’ there were ‘categories [of people] that are complicated and vulnerable as far as making applications are concerned.’
He points to the lack of a 100% application rate among eligible EU citizens as evidence that the communication campaign by the home office ‘has not fulfilled its absolute purpose’.
The Home office declined to offer anyone to comment, however stated in a press briefing that ‘EU citizens and their families have plenty of time to apply before the deadline but we are processing complete applications in around five days.’
Various events are being held across London to help EU citizens apply for settled or pre-settled status.
This comes as only just under two million citizens have applied out of a possible 3-3.5 million, as the UK is still due to leave the EU on 31 October.
EU citizens must apply for pre-settled or settled status to stay in the UK after Brexit.
The former status applies to those resident in the UK for under five years, while the latter applies to those resident over five years and is akin to indefinite leave to remain.
At an event in held in Hackney Town Hall, the local mayor said that only a quarter of EU citizens in the borough had applied for either of the statuses, based on electoral roll data.
He went on to say that he had written to the 8,000 EU citizens on the electoral register in the borough, advising them how to navigate the system and reiterating their rights post-Brexit.
The London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Islington, Camden and Enfield have been holding concurrent events this week.
At an event in Enfield, which was hosted by the EU Commission, migrants who have yet to apply for either immigration status were urged to do so.
“The system is simple… for certain citizens. There are categories [of people] that are complicated and vulnerable as far as making applications are concerned, said Chris Benn, an immigration solicitor who attended the event.
He pointed to the lack of a 100% application rate among eligible EU citizens as evidence that the communication campaign by the Home Office “has not fulfilled its absolute purpose.”
The Home Office declined to offer anyone to comment, however stated in a press briefing that “EU citizens and their families have plenty of time to apply before the deadline but we are processing complete applications in around five days.”
A 2024 Freedom of Information request showed Bromley Council had £4.5 million invested in arms companies that year with £1.5 million reportedly linked to Israel.
Undercover officers raided three linked shops in Barking town centre, revealing how illicit tobacco is being hidden in walls, ceilings and nearby locations to evade detection.
More than 330,000 people across the UK sought support from the Stop It Now helpline in 2025 over concerns about their own or someone else’s online sexual behaviour towards children, according to new charity data. The anonymous service says contacts by phone, email and webchat rose significantly over the year.
