EU Settlement Scheme – How are you involved?

After reading a recent article in British Farmer & Grower magazine, it reminded me that although we as a country are going through a major pandemic right now, there is life after this. But what will life be like on Farms of the future with the majority of the seasonal workers having come from the EU. With this potentially affecting various agricultural sectors such as crops, horticulture, soft fruit and top fruit, what is being done?

Since the decision to leave the EU was made, the government have put in place the EU Settlement Scheme. This means that any EU national will need to apply to continue working in the UK.

You are required to provide evidence that you have worked in the UK for the past 5 years, even though this may mean you have worked 6 continuous months within in each of the 5 years. If you haven’t worked for the past 5 years, you can apply for a pre-settled status. To find out more information, please see the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

The deadline to apply for this status is 30 June 2021. But with the free movement in and out of the country ceasing for these workers on 31 December 2020, it may be beneficial to apply now. Especially due to applications taking longer than usual to process due to the current  pandemic.

Disclaimer - All information in this post was correct at time of writing.