Earlier this week, UK Immigration Minister Kevin Foster emphasised that the government would “not be extending the deadline” for new post-Brexit residency permits.
The UK Home Office is approaching a “breaking point” as it tries to cope with a last-minute surge in applications for post-Brexit settled status from tens of thousands of European Union citizens residing in the UK, The Guardian reported on Saturday.
The newspaper added that with the 30 June deadline already in the offing, some applicants remain stuck in online queues, while others unsuccessfully attempt to access advice on the government helpline.
The Guardian cited Monique Hawkins of the campaign group the3million as saying that hundreds of thousands of EU citizens were “scrabbling” to obtain a certificate of application for post-Brexit settled status in the face of the fast-approaching deadline.
The UK Border at Heathrow Airport
She added that the government helpline had received 1.5 million calls from applicants in addition to more than 500,000 requests for help through an online contact form.
Government statistics, in turn, revealed that out of 5,605,800 applications, only 5,271,300 have so far been processed, something that comes amid calls for Britain to follow France’s example and announce a deadline extension.
British Immigration Minister Kevin Foster, however, made it clear that the government isn’t considering making such a decision.
The minister acknowledged a huge surge in applications, now running at 10,000 to 12,000 a day, with a backlog of around 400,000 applications currently waiting to be processed.
Under the terms of the Brexit-related Withdrawal Agreement signed between London and Brussels, EU citizens as well as nationals of Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland already living in the UK have until 30 June to apply for permanent residence, otherwise they will lose their rights to work, rent a home, and receive health care.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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