London gives another 28 days to Bulgarians on the Island to settle their status

He then began to stop benefits, free health care, training and work

British authorities have been forced to extend the deadline for European citizens in Britain to settle their status in the country because of Brexit, after it became clear that days before its expiration on June 30, there are thousands who have not done so. Among them are many Bulgarians who report on social media that they do not receive any information from the British Interior Ministry whether their online applications for status have been accepted in recent days. No one answers the helplines for hours.

Deputy Immigration Minister Kevin Foster announced that this week they will send a 28-day notice to thousands of European citizens who are reported to be in a country but have not applied for status. This will give them an extra chance to do so, without automatically losing entitlement to social benefits, access to free education, training and employment, on the first of July. However, he clarified that this is not a new deadline for everyone, but an additional opportunity for those who had a good reason not to apply during the two years provided for registration.

“We want to reach out to those who have not realized that there are new rules for their stay, including vulnerable groups such as the elderly and children from social homes who need help using the online status application,” Foster explained. . He said the British Home Office would show “flexibility and leniency” and there would be no automatic interruption of social payments and access to treatment for Europeans without status, especially when it comes to emergency medical care. However, they

they will not be able to

to apply

for new aid,

until they legalize their stay.

It is not clear how long it will take the authorities to process all applications, as 10-12 thousand per day have been submitted in the last month due to the expiration of the deadline, and about 400,000 are behind schedule. A total of 5.6 million applications for residency status in the UK have been made so far, and about 300,000 of them are from Bulgarian citizens.

The British Home Office acknowledges that it is under serious pressure and will not be able to handle all applications in the coming months.

It therefore plans to issue a certificate of application, which European citizens will temporarily present to employers, landlords, banks, doctors and schools so that they can continue their lives in the UK without any problems while waiting for their status. This will be a kind of proof of access to the right to work or rent for those who entered the country before January. Everyone who comes later must have a visa to be able to work or study. Unlike the status, it is paid, and it is quite difficult to give. There is a requirement for workers to earn at least £ 25,600 a year, which is too high a salary and well above the salaries of professions practiced by foreigners on the Island.

According to the British Interior Ministry, about 260,000 Bulgarians have already received status, and about 15,000 have been denied and they must leave the country if they fail to otherwise legitimize their stay there. If they fail to do so, they face deportation.

However, NGOs have warned that thousands could suffer, as the procedures for obtaining status, and then proving it only through online-generated code, are quite complex and virtually inaccessible to vulnerable people.

“It is good that it will be possible to apply late, but the important thing is that those who meet the conditions and have not done so by June 30 are already illegal and risk losing their jobs, housing, access to free health care. care and much more, “Mike Bonn of The3million, which defends the rights of Europeans on the island after Brexit, told the BBC. From her a long time ago

insist the British

authorities to introduce and

paper status document,

as many people cannot handle the code generation system that is presented on demand.

Compatriots said they had encountered some of its imperfections. For example, after entering it to prove to their employer that they had a status, they did not write down the 9-digit code and letters because they thought they would always have access to it. A few days later, when they had to introduce it on another occasion, they were surprised to read that it was not permanent, but valid for 30 days and they would receive a new one after the validity of the first one expired. Others have tried to prove their right to stay in the UK with their 16-digit status number, which should not be shared with anyone.

The Settled organization, which works primarily with older people, said there were 131,000 Europeans over the age of 65 in the UK. Many of them live in social homes and do not even suspect that they must have the status of sedentary because of Brexit.

England under pressure to lift quarantine for vaccinated

The British government is considering removing the 10-day quarantine for those arriving in England from countries on the amber list, which includes Bulgaria, if they prove that they have two coronavirus vaccines. It is under serious pressure to do so to save airlines and tour operators from bankruptcy, as the requirement has refused millions of Britons to travel on holiday abroad, as they traditionally do in the summer.

In addition, data from the National Statistics Agency showed that the coronavirus was not the main cause of death in the UK in the first week of June, although the number of infected continues to grow due to the Indian mutation in covid. 84 people died after being infected with it, while almost 14 times more died from flu and pneumonia.

Some scientists advising the authorities on the pandemic have even warned that the flu could be much more dangerous in the winter, as immunity against it has fallen due to social restrictions over the past year. For this reason, studies have begun on which covid vaccines can be combined with an influenza vaccine so that another dose of both drugs can be offered to UK residents in the autumn.

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