EU citizens will have to answer three simple questions if they want to stay in the country after Brexit. They will have to provide their ID, answer questions about whether they have criminal convictions and whether they live in the UK, BBC reports.
Javid Sajid, Home Secretary, said that the answers will be checked against government databases and they will give answers as soon as they can. They are planning on giving settled status to mostly everyone; it will only be refused if there is a really good reason for it. The Home Office said that the criminal record checks would be about “serious and persistent criminality, not parking fines”. Brexit should not have any immediate effect on foreign nationals, including Hungarians, in the UK.
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How to apply
The process is made to be very simple and quick, and it can be done electronically. The government is planning a registration fee, which will cost about as much as a new passport would, about £65 for adults (16 years or older) and £32.5 for those under 16 years old. The European Parliament is completely against asking any fees from European citizens who want to stay in the UK.
The scheme will officially open in March 2019, and the deadline is 30 June 2021. Some cases may already be processes later this year, but the scheme will be fully underway before Britain leaves the EU next March.
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This scheme will be compulsory for all EU citizens living in the UK. The government expects a total of 3.5 million applications.
The easiest way to apply would be to use smartphones. Android phones will be able to download an app which can read the chip in the passports to verify the citizen’s identity. They will also be able to take a selfie that can be checked against Home Office records, said Mr Javid.
But at the moment there is an issue with Apple devices. Apple users will not be able to use the app and instead will have to send in their passport to prove their identity.
Source: bbc.com
