Today, Home Secretary Sajid Javid wrote an open letter for the Evening Standard on the EU Settlement Scheme. His words can be found below.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid:
To the one million EU citizens who have made London their home, this is your city.
You are our friends, our neighbours and our colleagues and our country is all the better for it.
Whilst our future relationship with the EU is uncertain and I understand the anxiety this may cause, I want you to know how much we want you to stay regardless of whether the UK leaves the EU with or without a deal.
Tomorrow, the EU Settlement Scheme will be fully open, meaning that whether you are a Frenchman from Dulwich, a Polish woman from Barking or a German living in Fulham, we will ensure you can continue your lives as before.
The EU Settlement Scheme is completely free, and the Home Office’s aim is to make it as simple and straightforward as possible.
Let me be clear, we are looking for reasons to grant people status and we want everyone eligible to get the status they are entitled to receive. All people need to do is complete a three-step application with a laptop, tablet or mobile device to prove your identity, confirm you live in the UK and declare any criminal convictions.
As Home Secretary, I’m determined that no-one is left behind, which is why up to £9m has been made available for supporting vulnerable people, whether they are homeless, disabled or unaware of the Scheme so far, to make an application. For those without access to a computer, or lacking skills or confidence to use one, there will be assistance available in more than ten Assisted Digital Locations across the capital and many more nationwide.
The Scheme has already been tested by over 200,000 EU citizens so far and nearly four out of five of those who have applied did not need to provide any additional evidence or send in their documents for checking. To find out more go to Gov.uk/EUSettlementScheme.
From tomorrow, there will be multiple routes for proving identity for example, the ID Document Check app from the comfort of your own home, posting it or visiting one of the locations across London where documents can be scanned and verified. We have 1,500 specially trained staff on hand to assess your application.
We’ve launched a £3.75m nationwide marketing campaign to raise awareness and you may have already seen the adverts on the tube or at bus stops across the city.
If your housemate, your boss or your friends are EU citizens make sure they know about the Scheme.
It’s the least we can do for people who have made such an important contribution to London life.