Whilst negotiations for the UK’s exit from the EU continue, the Home Office have confirmed that the testing phase of the proposed Settlement Scheme for EU citizens will begin with a trial group from 28 August 2018. The trial is focussed in the North West of England and encompasses three universities and twelve NHS Trusts.
It is likely that there will be some press coverage around this but at the moment there is no requirement for you to take any action. The Home Office have advised that there will be a phased introduction of the Scheme later this year before the official launch in March 2019. More updates will be shared when they are available.
In the meantime, if you have changed your citizenship status please let HR know so we can ensure our records are up to date.
The Home Office is to publish guidance material regarding what is involved in the application process under the Scheme. These are to be finalised once the testing phased is complete and we will provide further communication later in the year once available.
If you wish to review the full detail of the Government’s Statement of Intent regarding the Settlement Scheme, it is available here.
A shorter overview of the Scheme is also available here.
If you have any queries please contact Sharon Cassidy, HR Partner at sharon.cassidy@abdn.ac.uk or 01224 273981.