THERE WAS ANGER today after the UK’s Home Office shared a video and information outlining how EU citizens can apply to remain living in the UK after Brexit – and how much they will have to pay.

EU citizens and their families are being asked to apply to the settlement scheme to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021. If an application is successful a person will either get settled or pre-settled status.

There are people who will be able to stay without applying to this scheme, including Irish citizens and those who have indefinite leave to remain. The UK has also reached an agreement with Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and a separate agreement with Switzerland.

The fee will be £65 if the person is 16 or over and £32.50 if they are younger than 16.

EU citizens and their families will need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 31 December 2020.

Find out more: https://t.co/S5UB9n8iFU #Brexit pic.twitter.com/HdqySqRk8M
— Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) December 27, 2018

Home Office / Twitter

The scheme was criticised by a those who will be affected by it. Craig Smith, who said he had served in the military for 24 years, complained that he will now have to “apply and pay” for his Slovakian wife and son to have the right to stay in Britain.

“Disgusted and angry don’t come close to how I feel,” he said.

I would like to express my deep gratitude for the possibility of paying @ukhomeoffice a modest sum of 65 pounds for the possibility of letting an app as reliable as @SouthernRailUK on a snowy day to decide the future of my existence
— Max Fras (@maxfras) December 27, 2018

Max Fras / Twitter

How can you make people pay to apply for permission to stay in a country where they have lived legally for up to forty-five years? I hope they all refuse. Who has any confidence in the ability of the Home Office to carry out this scheme effectively anyway?
— 🇪🇺 (@22march86) December 28, 2018

Valerie Wallace 🇪🇺 / Twitter

So someone who has paid taxes, purchased property, employed British citizens, married with British children etc could be deemed unfit? After windrush you are to be trusted with this? shame bought on this country thanks to out of touch politicians with one size fits all mentality
— pedro (@0121_pedro) December 28, 2018

pedro / Twitter

This is sickening. It literally makes me feel ill to think of how we're treating EU citizens.
— Stephen Rötzsch Thomas (@SRotzschThomas) December 28, 2018

'Tis the Stephen to be jolly / Twitter

The Home Office was also criticised for the timing of its announcement, sharing the details of the new scheme just three days after Christmas.

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