EU citizens' rights to stay protected in no-deal Brexit

The Home Office has reassured to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) that employers will not have to differentiate between resident EU citizens and those that arrive after exit March 2019.

The Home Office’s indication to the CIPD is that free movement will effectively continue during the transitional period between March 2019 and December 2020; as currently set out in the draft agreement between the EU and the UK.

The CIPD said: “The latest developments closely follow the Prime Minister’s recent assurance that the rights of EU citizens will be protected in the event of a no-deal scenario.

“This means that the EU Settlement Scheme, which requires all EU citizens living in the UK to obtain a settled status document that would give them the same rights as they currently enjoy under free movement, will also continue.”

The institute added that the registration process, to begin in January 2019, will last for a period of around two and a half years, so there is no urgency for employers and EU citizens. It said for those that aren’t doing so already, employers should be reassuring EU citizens that their status is protected and seeking ways of supporting them with the registration process.

The Home Office is due to set out more information on what a no-deal scenario will mean for employers soon and publish a white paper on the future immigration system later this year.