UK business owners and their EU staff might be pleased to learn that the Home Office have published The EU Settlement Scheme Employer Toolkit aimed to help employers support and inform EU staff on how to acquire ‘settled’ status in the UK after Brexit.
What will EU staff be entitled to?
Applicants can apply from the end of 2018 and have until 30 June 2021 to submit their applications. They will be entitled to:
- Public services
- Public funds and pensions
- British citizenship- if the applicant meets the necessary requirements
What is required?
The application is £65 and requires:
- Verification and proof of identity and nationality
- Confirmation and proof of UK residence
- Completion of a criminality check
- Provision of payment details
Securing settled status means that EU citizens will have the same rights to live and work in the UK after Brexit as they do now. The result of this, is that many EU staff who might have been considering leaving the UK will in fact stay, thus reducing the anticipated cost of staff turnover for businesses.
Gerwyn Davies, Senior Labour Market Analyst at the CIPD, says the toolkit is clear and simple to use. She goes on to say that it would be likely to ‘override the need for employers and EU citizens to seek expensive professional advice’ about the status of EU citizens post-Brexit.
The provision of this toolkit should come as a welcome relief to employers and employees alike. If you’d like to see how the toolkit can help you, it is available from the UK Government website.