Hi Sheila, I am the Registered Manager of a care home and one of my carers has asked me about registering to stay in the UK after Brexit. Can you give me any advice please?

Answered by Sheila Scott

Dear Jennifer,

You have written at a key moment and it is very important that any workers who wish to stay in the UK after Brexit should register as soon as possible.

A no deal Brexit on 31 October  is looking increasingly likely.

Arrangement for registration have been in place for some time now.

I heard on the radio yesterday that there are 3 million people in the UK at the moment who are eligible to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status). So far only 1 million have applied.

My experience has been that eligible EU citizens feel much more settled once they have applied.

Applications need to be made if the person is  an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen or if a member of their family is. Applications also need to be made if people were born in the UK but do not have UK citizenship or hold a  UK permanent residence document.

Applications can be made on line and it is free to apply to the scheme.

If you are signed up to QCS, there are some really helpful Brexit documents to support you to plan operationally. QCS are updating these documents as the situation unfolds.

Best wishes.

Sheila