Citizens Advice Cymru have today called for all EU nationals wishing to stay in the UK beyond June 30 to apply for settled status immediately. The warning comes as the deadline to apply gets ever closer with applications only open for another 30 days.
Many Europeans in Wales work in the health and social service sectors as well as areas such as hospitality and food processing. Their contributions are crucial to the Welsh economy, and Citizens Advice Cymru are urging those who are eligible to apply for settled status before the deadline if they have not yet done so .
Those who don’t apply could be at risk of being deported.
Rebecca Woolley, Director of Citizens Advice Cymru, said:
“The last thing we want is for people not to apply because they’re unsure of the process itself. Citizens Advice Cymru have a dedicated service to help EU, EEA, Swiss nationals and their families with the process and we can support you in your first language using an interpreter.”
“Our advisors are experienced, friendly and some have been through the process.
“If you can’t call our helpline (0300 3309 059) our website is also full of resources that can help.”
Raquel Fernandes, who is an advisor on the Citizens Advice project (and someone who has been through the settled status process), said:
"People who might be a bit scared of and don't know what to do about applying for settled status can come to us and we can explain, since we have already done it.
“We can tell them that we have already done it, it's fine we can show you, it’s not that scary, so we can go through the process. I can help you. If you have any troubles we know how to sort it, who to contact to help you and that might reassure people in applying. We tell people that we are Europeans, we are doing the same thing, we have the same problems.
"That kind of thing can reassure others that they are going to make it. Sharing our experiences and what we have done and how we got there can reassure people that it's not scary."
Run by Citizens Advice Cymru and funded by the Welsh Government, the EU Citizens Rights project has helped thousands of people already and is a free, confidential, independent service that will advise EU and Swiss nationals on the process of applying for EU settled status.
If you’re a EU or Swiss national and are worried about the settlement scheme you can call Citizens Advice on 0300 3309 059 or visit their website where you can access the guidance in over 10 languages.
