EU Citizens: Why am i Unsuitable to settle in UK?

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Applications to the UK's EU Settlement Scheme close in June 2021. /AP

The right to remain living and working in the UK: UK has so far judged 9 out of 3,319,000 EU citizens 'unsuitable' to stay post-Brexit.

While much of Europe and the world has been focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, you might be forgiven if you forgot the European Union remains in the middle of what had been its biggest test: Brexit.

With the UK now officially out of the European Union and the months ticking down towards the end of the 'transition' period on 31 December, many Europeans who chose to make their homes in the UK have been applying for "settled status". In other words: the right to remain living and working in the UK.

Figures from the UK government Home Office, which deals with internal affairs, show that the overwhelming majority of these claims have been accepted.

Of 3,319,000 applications, 57 percent were granted settled status and 41 percent were granted pre-settled status.

This split is down to the length of time people have been living in the UK, according to the Home Office.

Anyone living in the UK for five years or more qualifies for "settled status," which gives "indefinite leave to remain," while those who have moved to the UK but have not been here a full five years are given "pre-settled status." This protects their rights and means they can continue to live in the country before being invited to apply again for "indefinite" residency and work rights once they pass the five year mark.

But what about those who did not qualify?

According to the official Home Office figures out of the total 3.3 million applications, 900 have been refused so far.

The reasons given for these refusals are split into "suitability refusal" and "eligibility refusal."

Of the 900 refusals, 99 percent have been rejected on eligibility grounds. That means they don't appear to qualify for the scheme. Only EU, EEA or Swiss citizens (or their family members) who are residents in the UK can apply, and this data suggests some were unable to show they met the criteria.

The other one percent - or to put it another way, 9 people out of the 3,319,000 applicants - have been deemed "not suitable" for staying in the UK. 

These cases involve people who have shown "serious or persistent criminality" or "represents a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society." This includes people who have previously been deported from, or refused entry to the UK.

"Serious or persistent criminality" is defined in a Home Office staff document as a single conviction leading to time in prison within the past five years; imprisonment of more than 12 months (at any time in the past); or having three convictions in the past three years.

A further 14,100 applications were deemed invalid and 28,900 were withdrawn. Although the end of the transition period is 31 December, 2020, the deadline to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme is 30 June 2021.

Source: CGTN, by Patrick Atack

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