The Human Rights Consortium Scotland has produced a series of videos that call for an automatic right to stay for EU nationals residing in Scotland
A series of films have been created which call for guarantees to be made to EU nationals living in Scotland.
EU citizens whose homes are in Scotland have to apply for permission to stay here after Brexit. However, the Human Rights Consortium Scotland, and many other civil society organisations, are calling for EU citizens to have the automatic right to stay.
Many people will miss out on settled status because they lack paperwork, face additional barriers such as language, or simply don’t apply on time. People who have experienced domestic violence, those who have been trafficked, street homeless, older people and those who are isolated are all at particular risk.
If EU citizens don’t get settled status before the deadline, they will be resident in the UK unlawfully, at risk of deportation, and at risk of infringement of many of their basic rights.
In a series of short films coordinated by the Human Rights Consortium Scotland, EU citizens and organisations that work with them have been speaking about some of the problems around settled status.
The consortium is calling on MPs, peers and the UK Government to amend current Brexit legislation to enable all EU citizens simply to register to prove their right of residence - as opposed to applying for permission.
In the films, Noelia Martinez, who was born in Spain but resides in Edinburgh, said: “I think EU citizens should have the automatic right to stay here because ultimately they are contributing to the society, they make Scotland or the UK their home and that should be enough reason why they should be able to stay without having to apply for the EU settlement scheme.”
Wiktoria Orlicka, MSYP for Wishaw, born in Poland with her home in is in Scotland, said: “My dad applied for settled status, however I wasn’t able to apply because my dad doesn’t really know how to link his application to his children. And the fact that we have that barrier between our languages, I have to translate things to him. So he’s very confused, I’m very confused and we just kind of sitting there like, ‘What do we do now?’
“You’re suppose to be able to live where you want to live and if you think that Scotland is your home why can’t you just be given that straight away? It’s so pointless that it’s so difficult just to stay somewhere where we want to stay and where we feel safe.”
Mhairi Snowden, coordinator of the Human Rights Consortium Scotland, said: “Across Scotland, there are too many EU citizens at risk of missing out on this new settled status.
“This needs to be about protecting rights, not about paperwork and permission. Changing the settled status scheme to a simple registration process to confirm an EU citizen’s residence makes good sense. We will be writing to MPs and peers to ask them to make this sensible change that will reassure and protect our EU citizens.”
