WE WANT EU TO STAY
Theresa May SCRAPS £65 fee for Europeans to stay in Britain after Brexit
MILLIONS of EU citizens who live in Britain can stay in the UK for free after Theresa May scrapped a £65 application fee.
Everyone who has a passport or a biometric residence card can register for so-called "settled status" from today.
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And in a boost to Europeans who want to continue living in the UK after Brexit, Theresa May announced she was scrapping the fee being charged for applications.
The Prime Minister told MPs: "Having listened to concerns from membersI can confirm today that when we roll out the scheme in full on March 30, the Government will waive the application fee so that there is no financial barrier for any EU nationals who wish to stay.
"And anyone who has or will apply during the pilot phase will have their fee reimbursed. More details about how this will work will be made available in due course."
The U-turn was welcomed by politicians of all parties - but Mrs May was criticised for leaving it so long.
After trials of thousands of EU citizens so far, it was revealed that 70 per cent were granted settled status, with the remaining given "pre-settled status" as they hadn't yet been in the UK for five years.
Every EU national living in Britain will be able to bring their family over - as long as they come before the end of the transition period.
The PM has vowed that no family will be split up over her "fair and serious" offer to the EU promising citizens the right to stay.
The Government has pumped £175million into the scheme, where applicants have to prove their identity, their residence in the UK, and will get a criminal background check.
Immigration minister, Caroline Nokes, said: “From the very beginning we have been clear that securing the rights of EU citizens living in the UK is our priority.
"The report into the second private test phase of the EU settlement scheme shows clearly that we are well on track to deliver a system that will make it easy and straightforward for EU citizens to obtain status once we have left the EU.
"We are now in a position to proceed with the wider public testing of the scheme, which will provide us with further valuable insight before the full launch of the system by the end of March.
"We are grateful to those individuals and organisations that have participated in the testing so far."
What is settled status and how can I apply to stay in the UK?
EU citizens have to apply to a settlement scheme to continue living in the UK after June 2021.
If you have a passport or biometric residence card, you can apply now.
It costs £65, or £32.50 for anyone under 15 - but that fee will be reimbursed following today's announcement.
But it's free if you have indefinite leave to remain, you're a child looked after by the council, or you have a UK permanent residence document.
Irish citizens might not need to apply, but family members will need to.
If you were born in the UK but are not a Britain citizen, or are married to a British citizen, you'll need to apply if you want to stay in the UK in future.
Others without this will be able to apply before the end of March, but have to submit their forms by 30 June 2021.
If the EU leaves without a deal, the applications need to be in sooner, by the 31 December 2020.
77 per cent said they were happy with the application process.
But it comes weeks after several bugs were found with the app - which doesn't even work on an iPhone.
And some experts have expressed fears that it could spark a new Windrush scandal for the 3.5million EU citizens currently in the country.
Maike Bohn, founder of the3million campaign, said: "The Windrush people trusted the Home Office and many of them got deported because they were citizens but couldn’t prove it."
There are fears that tens of thousands of people could become undocumented overnight if they don't apply properly or don't have the right paperwork - such as the elderly or people with limited English skills.
Meanwhile, Theresa May is continuing to fight tooth and nail to save her doomed Brexit deal.
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