EU Settlement Scheme
The need to signpost European nationals for advice on settled status in the UK
Now that the UK has left the European Union all EU, EEA or Swiss citizens living in Northern Ireland must apply to have their legal status confirmed. They must apply for a new EU immigration status – ‘settled’ or ‘pre-settled’ status – in order to protect their right to continue to live, work, study or access the NHS or other services in the UK. This requirement applies to all the 88,000 (approx.) EU nationals living in NI (unless they have already applied for British or Irish citizenship), no matter how long they have lived here. The deadline for applying is June 30, 2021.
The application for settled status is made online and the process of applying is relatively straightforward. Information on this is available on the Home Office website here: https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families/applying-for-settled-status
Advice NI and the Stronger Together Consortium offer free, independent, multilingual OISC-regulated advice over the phone and online to EU citizens who need help to apply to the EUSS. Advice NI and the Stronger Together Consortium offer free, independent, multilingual OISC-regulated advice (OSCIC – Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner) over the phone and online to EU citizens who need help to apply to the EUSS. Face-to-face meetings and appointments are suspended for the moment due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However both organisations continue to offer one-to-one support & specialised legal and/or immigration advice via the telephone and internet to support vulnerable EU citizens with their EUSS applications. Help is available as follows:
| Organisation | Telephone | Times |
| Advice NI | ||
| Advice NI | FREEPHONE: 0800 138 6545 [email protected] Webchat: adviceni.net/EUSS | Mon – Fri 10am–4pm |
| Advice North West (Derry & Strabane) | FREEPHONE: 0300 303 3650 | Mon – Fri 9.30am–12.30 & 2pm–4pm |
| Community Advice Antrim & Newtownabbey | 028 9036 5860 | Mon, Tues & Thurs 9am–1pm & 2pm–4pm; Wed 9am–1pm; Fri 9am–12pm |
| Community Advice Armagh | 028 3752 4041 | Mon – Fri 9.30–4.30pm |
| Community Advice Banbridge | 028 4062 2201 | Mon – Fri 9.30–2pm |
| Causeway Community Advice, Coleraine | 028 703 44817 | Mon – Fri 9.30am–1pm & 2pm–4pm |
| Community Advice Craigavon | 028 3836 1181 | Mon – Fri 9.30am–1pm |
| Community Advice Fermanagh | 028 6632 4334 | Mon – Fri 9.30am–4.30pm |
| Community Advice Newry, Mourne & Down | FREEPHONE: 0300 3030 4334 | Mon – Fri 9.30am–2.30pm |
| East Belfast Independent Advice Centre | 028 9073 5690 | Mon – Fri 9am–5pm |
| East Belfast Independent Advice Centre | Drop-in clinic: 55 Templemore Avenue Belfast, BT5 4FP | Mon, Tues, Wed 9.30am – 11.30; Thursday 2pm – 3.30pm |
| Mid & East Antrim Community Advice | 028 9600 1333 | Mon – Fri 10am–2pm |
| Migrant Centre NI, Derry | 028 7141 4848 | Mon – Fri 9am–5pm |
| Migrant Centre NI, Derry | Walk-in clinic: The Old Church, Clarendon Street, Derry BT48 7ES | Wednesday 5pm–8.30pm |
| Migrant Centre NI, Lurgan | Walk-in clinic: Unit 3, CIDO Business complex, Charles Street, Lurgan BT666HG | Wednesday 5.30pm–8.30pm |
| Migrant Centre NI, Belfast | Walk-in clinic: Ballynafeigh Community Development Association, 283 Ormeau Road, Belfast BT73GG | Thursday 5pm–8pm |
| Omagh Independent Advice Services | Walk in clinic: The Community House 2 Drumragh Avenue, Omagh, BT78 1DP | Tues & Thurs 10am–12noon & 2pm–4pm |
| Stronger Together consortium: | ||
| Stronger Together EUSS Support Project: frontline and specialist services | 028 87750211 [email protected] [email protected] | Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm |
| Stronger Together EUSS Frontline: phone, email or drop in to make an appointment | ||
| STEP Belfast | 074 4941 1943 [email protected] | Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm |
| YMCA North Down Bangor | 028 9145 4290 | Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm |
| The Welcome Project, Lisburn | 028 9266 4443 | Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm |
| Interethnic Forum, Ballymena | 028 2564 3605 | Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm |
| Community Intercultural Programme, Portadown Craigavon | 028 3839 3372 | Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm |
| STEP Mid Ulster | 028 8775 0211 | Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm |
| Omagh Ethnic Community Support Group | 028 8224 9750 | Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm |
| North West Migrant Forum | 028 7136 2184 | Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm |
| Specialist Immigration & Legal Services (by referral from frontline service & appointment only) | ||
| STEP Immigration | 028 8775 0211 | Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm |
| Children’s Law Centre | 028 9024 5704 | Mon – Fri 9am – 5pm |
| Law Centre NI | Immigration and Asylum Advice line 028 9024 4401 | Wed – Friday, 09.30-13.00 |
We have included some scenarios below to help people realise how seriously people could be affected if they do nothing.
Beatrice
Beatrice has lived in Northern Ireland for over 25 years. She is a Danish national who met and married an Irish man when she was a student. “I’ve lived most of my life in Northern Ireland; my children were born here” she says. “I don’t think this EUSS requirement to register applies to me.” Thinking that the requirement to apply for settled status applies only to recently arrived EU ‘migrants’, she takes no steps to register for settled status. In August 2021, Beatrice is diagnosed with cancer. Her doctor wants to organise hospital treatment. As a preliminary step, she is asked to demonstrate that she is lawfully in the UK and entitled to free use of NHS services. She is unable to do this as she has not gained ‘settled status’; she is told that she is not entitled to free treatment but must pay for it.
Paolo
Paolo is a Lithuanian national who has lived in Northern Ireland for the last five years; he works in a food factory whenever the work is available. He has limited English and is unaware of the need to apply for the new immigration status for EU nationals. In September 2021, his boss tells him there is a vacancy for a supervisor in the factory and encourages him to apply. As part of the application, Paolo must demonstrate that he is lawfully in the UK and entitled to work here. He is unable to do so and loses both this opportunity and his intermittent employment at the factory.
Roman
Roman is a Romanian national living in Belfast for over 10 years. A friend helped him complete his application to the EU Settlement Scheme. As he has been working in a car wash for cash payments, his DWP tax and National Insurance records are incomplete. He can show he has lived in the UK for at least one year, but doesn’t have the documentary evidence to prove he has been continuously resident here for at least five years. He decides to apply to ‘pre-settled status’ as it is easier to prove that he is currently in the UK. In 2025, Roman’s pre-settled status expires, and because he did not apply for settled status instead, he no longer has a legal right to live, work, access health or other services in the UK.
Olivia
Olivia is a Bulgarian national who has lived in Northern Ireland for seven years. Having been advised she was entitled to ‘permanent residence’ under EU law (as previously existed), she made an application to the Home Office, and has an official document to prove that she has ‘permanent residence’. Thinking that she is protected by this document, Olivia does not apply for settled status under the new EU settlement scheme. As a result, she has no legal right to live, work, access health or other services in the UK.
EMBRACE is grateful to Free Movement https://www.freemovement.org.uk and Advice NI https://www.adviceni.net/eu-settlement-scheme for the provision of the scenarios.
A pdf version of all the above information is available here
