More then 4,000 EU citizens in Nottinghamshire stuck in Home Office backlog as cliff-edge looms

The Liberal Democrats are calling for all EU citizens in the UK to be given the automatic right to stay, as new figures reveal that 4,220 people living in Nottinghamshire are still waiting for the Home Office to process their applications – with just five weeks to the deadline.
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The latest EU Settlement Scheme statistics show that, as of the end of March, there have been 71,900 applications from people living in Nottinghamshire, but only 67,680 of these have been concluded.

The Lib Dems are warning that those who aren’t given ‘settled status’ by June 30 could become the victims of ‘a new Windrush-style scandal’.

David Watts, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Nottinghamshire said: “4,220 of our European friends and neighbours in Nottinghamshire still don’t know what will happen to them at the end of June.

Liberal Democrats foreign affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael has warned of an impending 'Windrush-style scandal'. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty ImagesLiberal Democrats foreign affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael has warned of an impending 'Windrush-style scandal'. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images
Liberal Democrats foreign affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael has warned of an impending 'Windrush-style scandal'. Photo: Jack Taylor/Getty Images

“They are being forced to cross their fingers and hope the Home Office get to their application in time.

“EU citizens who’ve made their lives in Nottinghamshire contribute enormously to our economy, our public services and our society.

"They shouldn’t be forced to live with this uncertainty and anxiety any longer.”

Alistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson, added: “Boris Johnson promised all EU citizens the automatic right to stay, but this enormous backlog and the growing number of refusals show that the settled status scheme is anything but automatic.

“It’s not too late, but the Government must act now to prevent a new Windrush-style scandal in just a few weeks."