What are my responsibilities as an employer if I have EU citizens working in my organisation?

Those who will be affected are European Economic Area (EEA) employees working in the UK,  the EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union (EU) and three countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). The individuals from these countries who live and work in the UK will need to apply for settled or pre-settled status if they don’t already have it. They need to make an application for settled status or pre-settled status by 30 June 2021.

The first step for employers is to carry out an audit of the workforce to establish which employees are EEA nationals in the UK or British nationals in the EEA. Once the employer has this information, they will be able to identify the number of employees who may be affected by changes to the immigration rules. Employers may then decide to support their affected employees in the application process.

What is the difference between `settled status’ and `pre-settled status’?

Settled status will be given to those who have lived continuously in the UK for five years and enable the holder to remain in the UK indefinitely. Pre-settled status will be given to those who do not yet have five years’ continuous residence. Individuals with pre-settled status can apply for settled status once they have accrued five years’ continuous residence.

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