Advice NI EUSS advice and support service
During the last year, Advice NI in partnership with Migrant Centre NI, funded by the Home Office, continued to provide immigration advice and support to vulnerable EU, EEA or Swiss Citizens and their family members, family members of NI relevant persons and family members of frontier workers during the application process and securing the immigration status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Advice NI offers free, confidential immigration advice, digital/ language support, information sessions in various languages to community groups, businesses, statutory and non-statutory agencies, regular joint sessions with embassies/consulates, Migrant Centre NI, Seraphus Solicitors - EU delegation solicitors and Home Office Vulnerability Team.
Nearly six months on from the EU Settlement Scheme 30 June deadline, our dedicated team continues to advise a high number of complex cases including those with reasonable grounds for missing the deadline to apply to the scheme including children, care leavers, homeless, victims of trafficking/domestic abuse, adults that lack the mental/physical capacity/serious medical conditions and others with compelling or practical reasons for missing the deadline such as may have been unaware of the requirement to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme by the 30 June deadline, may have failed to make an application by the deadline if they had no access to internet, had limited computer literacy or limited English language skills, had been living overseas. We also advise and support joining family members of EU nationals/ NI relevant persons, switching from pre-settled to settled and cases referred or self refer to us after their application has been rejected or refused.
There are various difficulties that those most at risk and vulnerable in the society face, for example due to lack of digital/language skills they are unable to manage their online status, unable to view and prove their status when requested by service providers and/or unable to update their online status when change of circumstances occur, hence impacting their access to key services including healthcare and welfare services.
So far, Advice NI EU Settlement Scheme service has secured the immigration status for many thousands of individuals in NI and ensured that all those granted pre-settled or settled status understand what their status means and rights protected under the status.