Number of EU citizens registered in Peterborough tops 25,000
The number of EU citizens who have registered themselves in the Peterborough area has topped 25,000 a meeting has heard.
Speaking to the members of Peterborough City Council’s Adults & Communities Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday (March 3), Cllr Irene Walsh, cabinet member for communities, said: “To date we have received registrations from just over 25,000 persons who have claimed EU citizenship following Brexit on 31 January 2020.
“While I am delighted that so many of our European friends have taken the opportunity to register themselves within the United Kingdom post-Brexit framework for remaining here, the problem remains that we have no idea what final percentage of EU citizens this number represents.
“Because, under EU law, there was no requirement on citizens of the EU to announce their geographic whereabouts within the member states, we have no real idea if 25,000 represents all of the EU citizens currently in Peterborough or just a tiny fraction.
“Therefore, while we are grateful to those who have taken the time to register and let us know who they are, we would encourage any outstanding citizens of the European Union to come forward as quickly as possible and register themselves.”
Government guidelines state that if you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen living in Peterborough, you and your family can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after June 30, 2021. If your application is successful, you’ll get either settled or pre-settled status. More details can be found: www.gov.uk/eusettledstatus.