Supporting EU migrants and their family members to retain their rights after Brexit presented a completely new application framework for Praxis immigration advisors to navigate.

All of a sudden, millions of people who had never had to deal with the Home Office had to submit an application to be able to secure their rights to remain and work in the UK - if they wanted to keep on living in their homes, work, and access healthcare. The timeline for submission was tight and non-negotiable.

Although a specific light touch process to gain settled status was set up for people from the EU countries, many needed legal assistance to navigate the burdensome and complicated system. For the people we work with who face homelessness, who have long-standing health conditions, who are elderly or who have an isolated lifestyle – getting through the application process proved to be a massive challenge. 

And so it was for us. From one day to the next, we had to learn how to interpret fresh Home Office guidance and start submitting applications for leave to remain within a new, unknown legal framework, without knowing how the Home Office would treat them. 

As the deadline for submitting applications loomed nearer, we got incredibly busy, not just dealing with paperwork, but also supporting people to navigate a hostile environment they had never been subject to before. 

People had to gather years’ worth of evidence of their life in the UK, deal with their embassies to obtain ID documents, wait for months for the Home Office to process their application, all while the system around them was rapidly changing, documentation and proof of right to live in the UK was demanded at every turn from employers, landlords, the health service and other institutions. 

Yet, over the two years we ran our dedicated project to support EU citizens and their families, we made sure that more than 400 people could retain their rights and obtain the documents they needed to continue to live in their homes, work, access healthcare, and be part of society. 

Many of the people we support face huge challenges every day – including not knowing where they’ll spend the night, or where their next meal will come from. For some, having settled status might not solve their problems overnight. Yet for all of them, it is the first fundamental step to help them build long term stability and access to the support they need to get their lives back on track.