5 November 2018
Government Fund to Help Vulnerable EU Citizens Apply for Settled Status in the UK
Voluntary and community organisations working with people in the UK who might be affected and require additional support can apply for project funding from the end of November.
The Home Office has announced that up to £9 million in grant funding will be made available to organisations working with EU citizens who might need additional help when applying for their immigration status through the EU Settlement Scheme.
The Home Office has been working closely with voluntary and community organisations across the UK representing the needs of potentially vulnerable EU citizens. The grant will help these organisations to both inform vulnerable individuals about the need to apply for settled status and support them to complete their applications to protect their status as the UK exits the EU.
Commenting, National Association for Voluntary and Community Action’s Chief Executive Jane Ide said:
“It is encouraging that the government has recognised and actively drawn on the local voluntary sector’s expertise in working with the most marginalised and disadvantaged members of our communities in planning for this crucially important programme of work.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the Home Office to ensure that the local voluntary sector is given all the tools and resources it needs to effectively enable every EU citizen in this country, no matter how vulnerable, to access the support they need at this time of enormous change.”
The Home Office recently announced the next phase of the rollout of the EU Settlement Scheme. From 15 November to 21 December 2018 the private test phase will be extended to include vulnerable people with additional support needs with the involvement of a small number of local authorities and community organisations. The scheme will be fully open by March 2019.
Information on the new fund will be published as soon as it is available.