An official estimate of three million EU citizens living in the UK proved to be significantly short. AP
An official estimate of three million EU citizens living in the UK proved to be significantly short. AP
An official estimate of three million EU citizens living in the UK proved to be significantly short. AP
An official estimate of three million EU citizens living in the UK proved to be significantly short. AP

Deadline day: deportation risk for thousands of Europeans in UK


Tim Stickings
  • English
  • Arabic

EU citizens have until midnight to apply for post-Brexit residency in the UK, with campaigners fearing that thousands will be left behind.

Those who do not apply for so-called settled status will lose legal rights and could leave themselves vulnerable to deportation.

British ministers have praised the scheme as a success after more than five million EU citizens applied for the status, far more than the government expected.

But critics fear a repeat of the Windrush scandal in which Caribbean migrants who moved to Britain after the Second World War were threatened with deportation decades later because of missing paperwork.

At least 300,000 EU citizens are thought to be in limbo because they are still waiting for a decision as the deadline looms.

Home Office figures obtained by the Institute for Public Policy Research, a think tank, show that many applicants were waiting months for a decision.

As of last month, there were 102,000 applications that had been outstanding for at least three months.

About 8,000 people had been waiting a year or more for a decision from the immigration authorities.

The final days before the deadline have included reports of long online queues and people struggling to get help with their application.

Campaigners say that others, including vulnerable children, risk falling through the cracks because they did not realise that they needed to apply. European embassies are urging their citizens to apply in time.

There is a real risk of a new 'Windrush'-type tragedy
Paul Blomfield,
Labour MP

All EU citizens, except those from Ireland, who moved to Britain before the end of last year have been told to apply for the status.

Politicians from the opposition Labour Party, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan, have called for a deadline extension to deal with the backlog.

“There is a real risk of a new Windrush-type tragedy in the future if we don’t get this right now,” said Labour MP Paul Blomfield.

Ian Blackford, the leader of the Scottish National Party in the UK Parliament, said EU citizens were “living in fear for their jobs, their families and their livelihoods”.

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected calls for an extension and said applications were being processed as fast as possible.

He said the government had funded 72 organisations to help vulnerable EU citizens to understand their rights.

“It’s five years now since the Brexit referendum,” he said. “The most important thing is for anybody who still hasn’t applied to get their application in today”.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected opposition calls to extend the deadline. Reuters
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected opposition calls to extend the deadline. Reuters

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Minister of State for Business, described the scheme as a “very efficient process” and said her own mother had used it successfully.

“Sometimes government processes can be difficult, this one was a really effective and slick one,” she said.


When Britain was a member of the EU, citizens from the bloc could move to the UK without needing to register their status.

It meant that the government did not know how many EU citizens there were in Britain and how many might apply for settled status.

An official estimate of three million EU citizens proved to be significantly short, with 5.6 million applications submitted so far.

The largest numbers of applications have come from Polish and Romanian citizens, followed by people from Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Those who have lived in the UK for at least five years can obtain the full settled status which grants permanent residency.

More recent migrants can get pre-settled status, which lasts five years but can be converted to full residency when they become eligible.

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

MATCH INFO

Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)

Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties

Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)

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Brief scoreline:

Manchester United 2

Rashford 28', Martial 72'

Watford 1

Doucoure 90'

Company Profile

Name: JustClean

Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries

Launch year: 2016

Number of employees: 130

Sector: online laundry service

Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Gelb%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Naga
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

6 UNDERGROUND

Director: Michael Bay

Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco

2.5 / 5 stars

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

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What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fighter profiles

Gabrieli Pessanha (Brazil)

Reigning Abu Dhabi World Pro champion in the 95kg division, virtually unbeatable in her weight class. Known for her pressure game but also dangerous with her back on the mat.

Nathiely de Jesus, 23, (Brazil)

Two-time World Pro champion renowned for her aggressive game. She is tall and most feared by her opponents for both her triangles and arm-bar attacks.

Thamara Ferreira, 24, (Brazil)

Since her brown belt days, Ferreira has been dominating the 70kg, in both the World Pro and the Grand Slams. With a very aggressive game.

Samantha Cook, 32, (Britain)

One of the biggest talents coming out of Europe in recent times. She is known for a highly technical game and bringing her A game to the table as always.

Kendall Reusing, 22, (USA)

Another young gun ready to explode in the big leagues. The Californian resident is a powerhouse in the -95kg division. Her duels with Pessanha have been highlights in the Grand Slams.

Martina Gramenius, 32, (Sweden)

Already a two-time Grand Slam champion in the current season. Gramenius won golds in the 70kg, in both in Moscow and Tokyo, to earn a spot in the inaugural Queen of Mats.

 

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

Updated: June 30, 2021, 1:23 PM`