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The prerequisite for participating in the EU settlement program is that you have already lived in the country before the end of 2020 - i.e. before the final Brexit
Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
Shortly before the end of an important deadline, according to a report, more than 50,000 EU citizens applied for the right to stay in the UK after Brexit. This means that on Wednesday - the last possible day - around five times as many people applied as the average per day in the past few weeks, as the Guardian reported. The last minute rush was so great that the Home Office extended the deadline for accepting applications to 9 a.m. on Thursday.
The so-called EU settlement program is intended to guarantee EU citizens living in Great Britain largely the same rights as before Brexit - such as the right to live and work in the country, but also access to the health system and social services.
The prerequisite is that you have already lived in the country before the end of 2020 - i.e. before the final Brexit.
There are also similar programs for British people living in EU countries.
According to experts, however, it could become a problem that EU citizens in Great Britain can only prove their new right of residence in a relatively complicated way in digital form.
In the social media, those affected were already reporting problems with landlords or job agencies who did not know or wanted to accept the proof.
The consequences could be even more devastating for those who missed the application deadline and thereby lose their right of residence.
Civil rights organizations are particularly concerned about the elderly, the sick and the homeless.
Some of these people are not even aware that they had to apply for a new status, or they couldn't handle the digital application process.
According to estimates, hundreds of thousands could not have applied and in the worst case must expect to be expelled.
kim / dpa