London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 31, 2025

Home Office has backlog of 400,000 applications for EU settlement scheme

Home Office has backlog of 400,000 applications for EU settlement scheme

Home Office data suggests 2 million more EU citizens want to stay in UK than was estimated in 2016
The Home Office has a backlog of 400,000 applications from EU citizens and their family members to remain in the UK after Brexit, according to the latest government data.

The latest monthly statistics for the EU settlement scheme also reveal the total number of applications now at more than 6.2m. This includes as many as 172,000 applications made after the deadline of 30 June for settled status.

The Home Office says that about 472,000 of the total were repeat applications and the number made since 30 June includes family members of those with status already.

But it also includes applications from people moving from the pre-settled status granted to those in Britain for less than five years to settled status, which is granted to those in the country for longer than five years.

A number of applications may have been made by EU citizens who have left the country but want an insurance policy for a potential return after a family or career move abroad.

Even with the caveats, the data puts the number of EU citizens who potentially want to stay in the UK at 2 million more than original estimates in 2016.

The Home Office says the net figures show 5.55 million had applied for the scheme up to the 30 June deadline.

Of the 5.8m applications already examined and concluded, just over 3m have settled status and 2.4m have pre-settled status.

About 165,000 applications (3%) were refused and just under 100,000 withdrawn, and 89,000 considered invalid or not eligible for settled status in the first place.

The figures also show that 114,000 applications were concluded last month reducing further the backlog, which was close to 600,000 in June.

No figures have been issued for the number of EU citizens married to British citizens living in the EU before Brexit who are in the settlement process, but informed sources say there are between 4,000 and 5,000 applications in the system.

The Home Office has had complaints that it is taking up to six months or more to get a family permit, which is a prerequisite for an application for EU settled status for spouses or enduring partners of British citizens, before the deadline of 29 March.

These applicants, known as Surinder Singh cases after a legal precedent in 1992, are being handled by a separate team. The Home Office has said the length of time it is taking to process applications is caused by a combination of high volumes of applications and the complexity of the evidence gathering needed to establish that the British citizen was exercising their freedom of movement rights and had established a life in the EU in the first place.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
×