More than 11,000 EU nationals apply to stay in Shropshire after Brexit
More than 11,000 people have applied to the EU settlement scheme in Shropshire.
The scheme, which has been introduced as a result of Brexit, allows successful EU nationals to remain in the country and is intended to guarantee their rights in UK law.
According to the newly released statistics, up until the end of December 2019, in the Shropshire Council area 4,230 people had applied for the status, with another 6,820 applying in Telford & Wrekin, and 1,190 in Powys.
In Shropshire the highest number of applications came from Bulgarians, with 1,170, then 920 from Polish nationals, and 630 from Romanian nationals.
In Telford & Wrekin Polish nationals submitted the most applications with 1,900, followed by Romanian nationals with 1,200, and Italian nationals with 720.
The Home Office has also confirmed that there have been more than 215,000 applications to the EU Settlement Scheme from the West Midlands as a whole.
In Birmingham there have been 57,340 applicants, in Coventry there are 23,420, Sandwell 20,080 and Wolverhampton, 18,020.
The top four nationalities in the West Midlands are Polish – 42,990, Romanian – 42,310, Italian – 25,320, and Portuguese – 10,500.
The Government says that to apply people need to complete three key steps – prove their identity, show that they live in the UK and declare any criminal convictions.
Security Minister Brandon Lewis said: “I’m delighted that there have been more than 215,000 applications to the EU Settlement Scheme from people living in the West Midlands.
'Integral'
“EU citizens are an integral part of our society, culture and community and the scheme guarantees their rights in UK law.
“I encourage all EU citizens in the West Midlands yet to apply to do so.”
Internal figures show that there have been more than three million applications to the scheme less than a year since it was fully launched to the public.
A statement from the Home Office said: "A wide range of support is available online, over the phone and in person to help EU citizens apply. There are more than 1,500 Home Office staff working on the EU Settlement Scheme with 250 based in Liverpool at the Settlement Resolution Centre supporting applicants with any questions about the scheme or who need help applying.
"There are also more than 50 voluntary and community sector organisations – funded by the Home Office – which have helped hundreds of thousands of vulnerable EU citizens, including the homeless, elderly and domestic abuse victims. This includes Father Hudson's Society, and the Refugee and Migrant Centre based in the West Midlands.
Pam Gill, deputy CEO of the Refugee & Migrant Centre - Birmingham & Black Country, said: "We’ve helped almost 4,000 people to apply so far, including Italian, Spanish, Romanian and Dutch nationals.
“Our staff are knowledgeable, experienced, accredited and between them they speak all the EU languages. Many of the people we have helped have gone on to use our other services to get employment and housing related support.
“We continue to encourage EU citizens in our Birmingham & Black Country location to contact us if they need support with their applications.”
