Evidence from front line organisations shows that the Covid-19 pandemic has created and exacerbated a number of issues with the EU Settlement Scheme. Some EU citizens holding pre-settled status have reported being refused Universal Credit. Other EU citizens returned home and with restrictions on non-essential travel, are at risk of breaking their continuous residence requirements. Meanwhile many citizens, particularly the most vulnerable, struggle to safely access the scheme at all.
The Brexit Civil Society Alliance has recently coordinated a letter from civil society organisations to the Home Secretary setting out these concerns and steps that need to be taken to address them. In this webinar we will be joined by some of these organisations and expert speakers to discuss the problems EU citizens and their families are facing, what changes to the EU Settlement Scheme are needed, and what organisations and individuals can do to help.
Our speakers are:
Caitlin Boswell, Project Office (EU Citizens) at JCWI. Caitlin leads on the EU citizens project, campaigning for EU citizens' rights through reform of the EU Settlement Scheme and monitoring its impact particularly for marginalised groups most at risk of slipping through the cracks in the scheme. Prior to this she worked as an Advocate & Outreach Worker, providing one-to-one support for migrant women affected by the criminal justice system and/or immigration restrictions.
Christopher Desira, Solicitor and Director of Seraphus, Trustee of Settled and Solicitor to the EU Delegation to the UK. Christopher’s experience is in immigration, human rights, EU and nationality law. He provides legal advice at Seraphus and through Seraphus’ partnership with www.freemovement.org.uk. He provides Brexit immigration related advice to the European Union and the EEA/Swiss Embassies. And he provides additional support to EU citizens through Settled and his wider pro-bono legal work.
Luke Piper, Head of Policy at the3million, leading on policy and advocacy strategy for the group. Having worked as a solicitor for over 5 years in the area of UK and EU immigration law, he has a detailed understanding of the legal and policy implications of the withdrawal agreement on the rights of citizens and its implementation in the UK.
Ollie Persey, Barrister and EU Settlement Scheme Support Hub Coordinator with the Public Law Project. He trained at PLP, with a secondment to Matrix Chambers, through a 2-year Justice First Fellowship. Before being called to the Bar, he was a researcher in comparative media law at Oxford University. He also worked on criminal justice, mental health and free speech issues at the American Civil Liberties Union and as a researcher for Professor Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights.
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