The EU Settlement Scheme

Since the EU Settlement Scheme (Appendix EU and Appendix EU (Family Permit)) was launched three years ago, millions of EEA/EU citizens have been able to apply to the scheme and have been granted pre-settled or settled status allowing them to continue to live in the UK. 

There is also a limited category of family members of EEA/EU citizens (e.g., children, parents, partners) who have been able to come to the UK and apply for pre-settled/settled status. 

In particular, the EU Settlement Scheme has enabled dependent parents to join their EEA/EU citizen sponsor in the UK. However, many parents have found themselves in a predicament because, in the majority of cases, they are not able to bring their other minor children to the UK. 

Children without parents

Non-EEA/EU citizen parents (and those EEA/EU citizen parents who had not been resident in the UK by 31 December 2020) have been able to join their EEA/EU citizen sponsor by applying for an EUSS Family Permit as a dependent parent of a relevant EU citizen and once in the UK apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Most of these parents have had to leave their other children behind. This includes-

(a) EEA/EU and non-EEA/EU citizen children because they do not qualify for an EUSS Family Permit as the family member of a relevant EU citizen;

(b), EEA/EU citizen children who were not able to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme because they were not resident in the UK before 31 December 2020.

These children should not be excluded from joining their family in the UK.

The number of families who find themselves in this predicament is increasing and it is a very worrying and frightening reality for them. It is for this reason, based on my experience as an adviser as well as stories from colleagues, that I have decided to start this petition.

The petition

This petition asks for changes to be made to the Home Office policy so as to allow children of dependent parents of EEA/EU citizens to join (or stay with) their parents and sponsor in the UK.