This report indicates that the EU Settlement Scheme suffers from systemic accountability failures that risk excluding citizens, particularly the most vulnerable.
Although Brexit seems like a distant memory, thousands of vulnerable European Union citizens in the United Kingdom continue to face significant challenges in securing their Withdrawal Agreement rights, particularly in obtaining a status under the EU Settlement Scheme (‘EUSS’ or ‘the Scheme’).
This report indicates that the EU Settlement Scheme suffers from systemic accountability failures that risk excluding citizens, particularly the most vulnerable. Its experimental, fully digital structure affects millions of people, and despite its known shortcomings, it is already being treated as a model for expanding digital-only status checks into other areas of public life. This, in the context of devolved responsibility, feels like a recipe for making life impossible for those without the right status.
New Europeans UK has been providing support on the EUSS since 2019, helping hundreds of vulnerable EU citizens and their family members every year. Drawing on our experience, including casework and research, this report contributes to our ongoing efforts to assess continuing needs for support and the protection of vulnerable citizens’ rights.