UK tries to put EU nationals off applying for residency

Head of Immigration, Nick Rollason, comments in FT article today following the recently issued Home Office guidance for EU citizens. 

"Nick Rollason, partner and head of business immigration at law firm Kingsley Napley, said the message was an attempt by the Home Office “to calm people down and allay their fears that they need documentation”.

He suggested that officials were trying to delay an expected avalanche of applications until the Brexit negotiations provided greater clarity on the rights of EU nationals in Britain. “I don’t think there’s any question that the Home Office will eventually put in place a process that allows EU nationals to prove their residence in an easier, quicker way,” Mr Rollason said. “The idea would be that the Home Office could deal with applications more easily and applicants could send in fewer documents. While the current system has been improved, it still takes up a huge amount of caseworker time.”

Click HERE for the full article in the FT (subscription required).

You may also be interested in reading Katie Newbury's blog on the same topic, in which she explains the latest Home Office guidance in greater detail - Brexit – Trust is hard earned and easily lost for EU citizens in the UK.