[UK] The EU Settlement Scheme

The United Kingdom (UK) has left the European Union (EU) and did so on the 31^st of January 2020.  But this is not the end of the matter by any means and we are not in the “transition” period during which time the UK and EU will talk about their future relationships, not least with regards to trading arrangements.

So nothing has noticeably changed at the moment.  Therefore what employers should be doing is preparing as best as they can with the information that they have available.  One of these areas is the EU Settlement Scheme.  This applies both professionally and personally and is the scheme to be used by EU citizens and their family members (including non-EU citizens) who are in the UK to apply to continue to live, work and study in the UK.

There is no legal obligation for employers to do this however we believe that it is responsible for employers to communicate details of the Scheme.  So we are looking at the government’s “EU Settlement Scheme: Introduction for Employers” document, pointing and giving direct links to the guidance material that it contains:

• “Introduction for employers” – a good starting point is this pdf document which is also available in HTML format which is easier for opening the links to other government pages
• “What you need to know” - this presentation gives an overview of the EU Settlement Scheme
• “Template letter to EU staff” – to raise awareness of the Scheme. This is also available in HTML format
• “Presentation” – a good resource for trainers and employers, also available in HTML format
• “Factsheet” – 2 pages that contain the main details, also available in HTML format
• “Leaflet” – 8 pages with more information, also in HTML
• “Poster” – we like this one-page poster. There is one available for Northern Ireland and it is important that employers note that the two are different
• There is also a section on gov.uk containing translated materials in 26 languages including Irish and Welsh
• “Right to work checklist” – note that there will be no change to right to work checks until the 1^st of January 2021 and employers will not be required to undertake retrospective checks on existing EU employees. 

Global Payroll Association Comment

The current deadline for applications to the Scheme is the 30^th of June 2021 and we urge employers to take their duty of care obligations to individuals one step further and communicate to them.

Employers may also want to see the “check how to get ready” information on gov.uk following the end of the transition period.

The United Kingdom (UK) has left the European Union (EU) and did so on the 31^st of January 2020.  But this is not the end of the matter by any means and we are not in the “transition” period during which time the UK and EU will talk about their future relationships, not least with regards to trading arrangements.

So nothing has noticeably changed at the moment.  Therefore what employers should be doing is preparing as best as they can with the information that they have available.  One of these areas is the EU Settlement Scheme.  This applies both professionally and personally and is the scheme to be used by EU citizens and their family members (including non-EU citizens) who are in the UK to apply to continue to live, work and study in the UK.

There is no legal obligation for employers to do this however we believe that it is responsible for employers to communicate details of the Scheme.  So we are looking at the government’s “EU Settlement Scheme: Introduction for Employers” document, pointing and giving direct links to the guidance material that it contains:

• “Introduction for employers” – a good starting point is this pdf document which is also available in HTML format which is easier for opening the links to other government pages
• “What you need to know” - this presentation gives an overview of the EU Settlement Scheme
• “Template letter to EU staff” – to raise awareness of the Scheme. This is also available in HTML format
• “Presentation” – a good resource for trainers and employers, also available in HTML format
• “Factsheet” – 2 pages that contain the main details, also available in HTML format
• “Leaflet” – 8 pages with more information, also in HTML
• “Poster” – we like this one-page poster. There is one available for Northern Ireland and it is important that employers note that the two are different
• There is also a section on gov.uk containing translated materials in 26 languages including Irish and Welsh
• “Right to work checklist” – note that there will be no change to right to work checks until the 1^st of January 2021 and employers will not be required to undertake retrospective checks on existing EU employees. 

Global Payroll Association Comment

The current deadline for applications to the Scheme is the 30^th of June 2021 and we urge employers to take their duty of care obligations to individuals one step further and communicate to them.

Employers may also want to see the “check how to get ready” information on gov.uk following the end of the transition period.