London, July 2, LETA – AFP. More than six million European Union (EU) citizens have applied for the right to continue living in Britain after the brexite, the government said on Friday.
As a result, the number of EU citizens living in the United Kingdom has turned out to be almost twice as high as previously thought.
Before the deadline of 30 June, the number of applications for residence permits from EU citizens wishing to retain their existing rights in the UK before leaving the bloc rose sharply.
However, after the end of the transitional period on 1 January, EU citizens wishing to remain in the UK will face greater difficulties in retaining their right of residence and employment.
The final number of applications for residence permits has reached 6.02 million, of which 5.1 million have already been met. When residence permits were issued to EU citizens living in the country until 2019, it was estimated that there were about 3.7 million of them.
More than 400,000 applications were submitted in the last month before the deadline, the Interior Ministry said, adding that those who missed the deadline for “good reasons” can still apply for residence permits.
“When we left the EU, we promised to protect the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and put in place a very effective (..) layout so that they could continue to call the UK their home in the years to come,” said Home Secretary Priti Patela. .
However, immigrant rights advocates say the mechanism proposed by the government has left many behind, including minors in care, young people who have left care, the homeless and some elderly people as adults.
At the same time, the Minister of Immigration Kevin Foster has pointed out that the government has developed security mechanisms for those who have not applied for a residence permit, although they are entitled to it.
He emphasized that everyone would get the status they deserve.
The Ministry of the Interior has also indicated that the status of the 570,000 people whose applications are still pending is protected until a decision is made.
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