EU staff at York will be able to apply for settled status from 15 November

The UK government has announced a pilot of its Settlement Scheme, a fast-track registration process for EU citizens wanting to stay in the UK after Brexit.

The Settlement Scheme is being phased in between now and March 2019. However, staff working in the higher education (HE) sector will be one of the first groups able to apply as part of a pilot of the scheme, starting from 15 November 2018.

The University Executive Board has committed to reimbursing all eligible staff the settlement scheme's £65 application fee.

Reclaim your settlement fee

The information below is extracted from the GOV.UK guidance on the EU Settlement Scheme pilot published on 11 October 2018. We have highlighted the areas relevant to York staff.

Who is eligible for the pilot?

Under this phase of the pilot, you'll be able to apply for status under the scheme if you're either:

  • a resident EU citizen with a valid passport
  • the non-EU citizen family member of an EU citizen and you have a biometric residence card

You must also either be:

  • working in the higher education, health or social care sectors, as set out below
  • a child under the age of 18 being looked after by one of the local authorities involved in the pilot or eligible for support or assistance from one of those local authorities because you were looked after by them as a child
  • receiving support from one of the community organisations involved in the pilot

You'll also need to be able to access an Android device in order to use a Home Office app to enable us to confirm your identity as part of the application process.

You must not apply under the pilot unless you meet these eligibility requirements.

Family members

Your family members won't be able to apply during this phase of the pilot unless they are also eligible through their employment with a participating organisation or they are also being supported by one of the participating community organisations. By 30 March 2019, the EU Settlement Scheme will be open to all eligible applicants, including family members.

When you can apply

From 15 November 2018

You'll be able to apply if you're:

Taken from https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-settlement-scheme-pilot-applicant-eligibility.