THE UK Home Office has revealed details of a new online registration process for EU citizens who want to stay in the UK after Brexit.
The 57-page document – described as a “statement of intent” - was published this afternoon.
The scheme looks set to be rolled out on a phased basis later in the year and applications will be available through Android mobile phones but not iPhones.
Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, promised that the application process would be “short, simple and user-friendly.”
He said: “With the scheme, we’re meeting our commitment to secure the rights of EU citizens who are already in this country, contributing in so many ways, they’re working, they’re studying, or for other reasons.
“We want them to stay and we want to make that process of staying as easy as possible.”
Applications will cost £65 per adult, with children half price. EU citizens will be issued with an ID number, but not a physical card, which they will be required to use for public services such as the NHS and possibly employment and property rental checks.
Furthermore, the confirmation process on applications to remain in the country will be reduced from six months to a matter of days.
Irish citizens will not have to apply but will have to provide proof of residency if they have non-EU spouses who want to remain in the UK.
The unveiling of the scheme comes just hours after European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker addressed the Dail in Dublin.
There, he said that fellow EU member states would not let Ireland be “isolated” and warned the UK that there will be no Brexit deal without agreement on the Irish border.
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