Home Secretary Priti Patel has today (6 February 2020) announced that there have been more than 3 million applications to the EU Settlement Scheme, according to the latest internal figures.

The EU Settlement Scheme is designed to make it straightforward for EU citizens and their family members to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021.

To apply they only need to complete 3 key steps – prove their identity, show that they live in the UK and declare any criminal convictions.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

I’m delighted that there have already been more than 3 million applications to the hugely successful EU Settlement Scheme.

It’s the biggest scheme of its kind in British history and means that EU citizens can evidence their rights for decades to come.

It’s now time for EU countries to adopt a similar scheme.

Detailed official statistics, published today, show that there were nearly one million applications from those living in London up to the end of 2019.

It comes as a new wave of advertising begins next week to encourage those who have not yet applied to do so. It builds on the £3.75 million campaign which supported the full scheme launch in March 2019.

Adverts will appear on catch-up TV, radio, online and social media over the coming weeks, with some also in Polish, Romanian, Italian, Lithuanian and Portuguese newspapers.

Security Minister Brandon Lewis said:

I am really proud that the EU Settlement Scheme has now had more than 3 million applications.

EU citizens are an integral part of our society, culture and community, and this is their home.

I encourage everyone yet to apply to apply today and join the 3 million.

The highest number of applications processed in one month was in October 2019 when more than 400,000 people secured their status under UK law. Home Office caseworkers have been processing up to 20,000 applications a day.

A wide range of support is available online, over the phone and in person to help EU citizens apply.

There are more than 1,500 Home Office staff working on the EU Settlement Scheme with 250 based in Liverpool supporting applicants with any questions about the scheme or who need help applying.

There are also 57 voluntary and community sector organisations – funded by the Home Office – who have helped hundreds of thousands of vulnerable EU citizens, including the homeless, elderly and domestic abuse victims.

Education and Migrant Support Manager at St Vincent’s Support Centre Julie Linley said:

St. Vincent’s is delighted to have already provided practical support to more than 2,500 vulnerable EU citizens including the sick, lonely, homeless and those suffering from financial hardship.

It’s more important than ever that EU citizens have the support they need and we’re committed to helping as many as possible to secure their status.

Additional support is also available to those EU citizens in the UK who do not have the appropriate access, skills or confidence to apply. This includes over 300 Assisted Digital locations across the UK where people can be supported through their application and over 80 locations where people can have their passport scanned and verified.

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Published 6 February 2020

Military veterans are to be guaranteed interviews for civil service jobs, the government has announced.

The initiative, launched by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs in the Cabinet Office, underlines this government’s deep commitment to veterans and will boost the employment prospects of those who have served in the British Armed Forces.

The move fulfills a manifesto pledge and will see veterans applying for posts in the civil service guaranteed the opportunity to be interviewed.

Guaranteed interviews for veterans will start from spring this year with pilots in the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office and the Home Office, including UK Border Force, all of which were keen to be part of the pilot as they believe veterans will bring the skills and experience they need.

Minister for the Cabinet Office, Oliver Dowden, who represents the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) in Cabinet said:

The end of military service should not mean an end to serving our great country. From teamwork to problem-solving, our veterans have incredible skills and experience that employers on civvy street, and indeed Whitehall, are crying out for.

I want to see even more of our ex-servicemen and women join the public sector so we all benefit from their talents. Today we are delivering on another manifesto promise to veterans and guaranteeing interviews for civil service jobs.

Some ex-service personnel already work in the civil service, bringing invaluable skills and experience learnt from the armed forces to the 430,000-strong workforce.

The new scheme builds on the Going Forward into Employment Programme, which launched its veterans initiative last month and helps veterans and their spouses into civil service junior roles. Today’s announcement paves the way for many more veterans to secure government roles at all levels.

Minister for Defence, People and Veterans, Johnny Mercer, said:

Those who’ve worked in the British Armed Forces are among the brightest and the best, and so it is right we draw upon this talent.

Service personnel are agile, strategic and excellent team players – a guaranteed interview will shine a light on these skills and help boost job prospects.

There will not be a time limit for those leaving service and when they can take up the guaranteed interview offer. Applicants will need to meet basic minimum criteria during the selection stage.

The employment boosting announcement delivers on a manifesto commitment and is part of a range of government pledges to help veterans including ending repeated and vexatious claims against them, better job prospects, better access to services from government, and cheaper train travel.

Last month, the government announced the new Veterans Railcard will be launched providing cheaper train travel to former servicemen and women this autumn.

The Office for Veterans’ Affairs was set up in July coordinating all government departments to make the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran.

The move comes after the building society was found to have broken Part 6 of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) Retail Banking Market Investigation Order, which states that customers with personal current accounts must receive a text alert warning of fees before banks charge them for an unarranged overdraft. This gives people time to take action and avoid unexpected fees.

Although Nationwide did send text alerts, these did not contain a warning that customers would be charged. This affected approximately 70,000 customers, known to the building society as having difficulty managing their accounts and so at a higher risk of entering unarranged overdrafts.

It is the second time in 6 months that the CMA has taken action against Nationwide for breaking this Order, having secured £6 million in refunds for affected customers in August 2019.

Adam Land, Senior Director of Remedies, Business and Financial Analysis, said:

Banks and building societies that fail to send customers text alerts saying they will be charged if they enter an unarranged overdraft are breaking the rules. The fact that Nationwide is a repeat offender makes it even more serious.

Following our action, it will now repay all affected customers, and quickly.

This is exactly the sort of issue we would expect to fine companies for in future, if the Government gives us the increased powers we’ve asked for.

Nationwide now has in place an independent auditor to review its processes, as directed by the CMA, and has begun refunding its customers.

The refunds paid by the building society cover all fees incurred by customers from going into unarranged overdraft.

Notes to editors

1. Part 6 of the Retail Banking Market Investigation Order came into force in 2018, after the CMA’s retail banking market investigation identified a number of competition problems in both the personal current account (PCA) and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) banking markets. The order is part of a package of remedies designed to address these problems.
2. The CMA has already issued directions to Nationwide, HSBC and Santander, and written publicly to Santander about breaches of Part 6 of the Order, securing a total of £17m in refunds for customers affected.
3. At present, the law prevents the CMA from imposing fines for breaches of either Orders or undertakings. This limits the CMA’s ability to ensure these breaches do not recur. However, Andrew Tyrie, Chair of the CMA, requested these powers to ensure proper deterrence as part of a package of wider reforms to the CMA’s powers in a letter to former Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark in February 2019.
4. The Financial Conduct Authority is now responsible for enforcing rules on alerts for unarranged overdrafts, as Part 6 of the Order was removed on 18 December 2019.
5. All media enquiries should be directed to the CMA press office by email on press@cma.gov.uk , or by phone on 020 3738 6460.

The CMA wrote to Nationwide Building Society regarding breaches of Part 6 of the Order. Nationwide breached the Order by failing to send out text alerts containing wording that customers would be charged for entering an unarranged overdraft. Nationwide will repay around £900,000 in charges to the 70,000 customers affected.

See the retail banking market investigation case page for information on the investigation and the order.