Over 50,000 EU residents living in Lewisham apply for Settlement Scheme

Since the UK left the European Union (EU) in January 2020 and the UK launched the EUSS (European Union Settlement Scheme) Home Office statistics show that over 50,000 Lewisham residents have applied to the scheme so that they can remain living and working in the borough.

The Council has not only directly offered support to those wishing to apply to remain, but also worked with partners, Citizens’ Advice and community groups to ensure that as many families and individuals who wished to remain could find the support they needed.

Councillor Kevin Bonavia, Cabinet Member for Democracy, Refugees and Accountability at Lewisham Council said:

“Lewisham is proud of its diversity, which is a huge part of what makes our borough so strong. I am so pleased that over 50,000 of our residents who have their roots in other European countries have decided that they want to make this their home.

“But I remain concerned that there will still be residents originally from EU countries who may have lived here for many years, but who don’t realise their right to stay and access to public services could be at risk.

“Unfortunately, the Government has chosen a time-limited approach for applications, with the scheme closing on Wednesday 30 June. I strongly urge that anyone who wants to, but hasn’t as yet, apply to stay. After that it may be difficult for families to access public services like housing, health and education.”

Find out more information on how to apply for EUSS status or other schemes available.