Wigan EU citizens worried about their future

Thousands of EU citizens in the borough are living with no clarity on their long-term future, data has revealed.
Thousands of EU citiizens leaving in Wigan face an uncertain futureThousands of EU citiizens leaving in Wigan face an uncertain future
Thousands of EU citiizens leaving in Wigan face an uncertain future

Thousands of EU citizens in the borough are living with no clarity on their long-term future, data has revealed.

Home Office figures showed that at the end of March 2,890 cases involving EU nationals in Wigan either had no decision or only a short-term one, leaving them “limbo” according to one local political group.

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Of those, 600 had applied to the Home Office’s scheme but were still waiting to hear of any outcome.

The other 2,290 have only been given temporary pre-settled status, meaning they will either have to reapply within five years or face being thrown out of the UK.

Political activists in Wigan are now demanding that EU nationals are told they have the right to remain in the borough should they wish to stay and continue their lives here.

John Skipworth, spokesperson for Wigan, Leigh and Makerfield Liberal Democrats, said: “Too many EU nationals in Wigan are deeply anxious about their right to stay. With the uncertainty of Brexit, it’s disgraceful to leave them in legal limbo like this.

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“Families and children must not be made to live under a cloud of uncertainty any longer.

“ Wigan, Leigh and Makerfield Liberal Democrats will continue to stand up for EU citizens by fighting to guarantee their rights to live and work in the UK.”

The Liberal Democrats have been particularly outspoken about the difficulties and uncertainty EU citizens in Britain are experiencing as the country heads towards its future post-Brexit.

The party has highlighted the contribution made to the NHS by employees from the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) during the current Covid-19 crisis as evidence that the Home Office needs to value their contributions to the economy and to UK society more.

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The Home Office data shows that in total 6,490 EU citizens living in Wigan have applied for permanent residency.

So far 3,350 of them have been granted settled status.

A further 60 cases have been listed as having other outcomes, which the Home Office explained means the applications cannot be

accepted but have not been rejected.

One example of this would be the submission of incomplete paperwork.

The Home Office has announced a one-year visa extension for certain health and care sector employees.

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However, a cross-party group of MPs are backing a Lib Dem-led campaign to give all NHS and care sector workers on the front line of the coronavirus outbreak indefinite leave to remain.

The data shows that EU citizens ranging from families with young children to pensioners who live in Wigan are applying for the right to settle in the UK.

Applications from the borough for people originally from more than 20 different countries have been received by the Home Office.