EU citizens living in the UK only have a few hours left to apply for post-Brexit settlement status, otherwise they will face loss of rights.

The so-called settlement of European Union and European Economic Area (EEA) citizens in the UK is scheduled to open in early 2019 and close at midnight on Wednesday.

Starting Thursday, EU citizens who have not applied may eventually lose their legal rights to work in the UK, rent a house, and receive certain hospital treatments or benefits.

They may even be deported.

In contrast, those who are granted permanent status will have the right to stay in the UK indefinitely and retain the same rights of residence, travel, employment and healthcare as before Brexit. Brexit ends the relationship between the UK and the EU Freedom of mutual movement.

Activists worry that as many as thousands of EU citizens may not be able to apply in time and may lose access to public services.

What is particularly worrying is that some seniors who have lived in the UK for decades do not know that they must apply.

NGOs also stated that many immigrant parents do not realize that they must submit applications for their children and themselves.

At the same time, vulnerable groups, such as those receiving social care or homeless EU immigrants, may also get into trouble and eventually lose their legal status.

Worried about another Windrush scandal

These concerns have evoked memories of the recent Windrush scandal, which witnessed people in the Caribbean legally settled in the UK and their descendants a few decades ago mistakenly fell into stringent government regulations to combat undocumented immigration.

Some members of the Windrush generation — named after the ships that carried the first post-war West Indies immigrants — were deported because they were unable to produce documents proving their residency rights.

Madeleine Sapson, director of the Oxford University Immigration Observatory, warned that many Europeans, especially young people whose parents have failed to apply for settlement status on their behalf, “may not immediately realize that they have lost their status.”

She told the Associated Press: “For some people, it will only become clear later-for example, when they find a new job or need hospital treatment.” “Before the legal, political, economic, and social consequences begin to emerge. , It may take many years.”

Italian translator Elena Remigi (Elena Remigi) founded “In Limbo”, a project to record the voices of EU nationals in the UK since the 2016 referendum. She stated that the betrayal of Brexit by European immigrants has been Ubiquitous.

She told the Associated Press: “People who used to live here now feel unwelcome and have to leave. It’s really sad.” “It’s really hard to forgive for some people.”

Millions of apps

According to the Ministry of the Interior, more than 5.6 million applications for settlement status have been submitted, of which 5.2 million have been completed.

Of these applicants, more than 2.7 million received settled status, while 2.2 million received pre-settled status, which means they must apply again after five years of residence in the country-this is the shortest amount required to consider settled status time.

Approximately 94,000 applications (2%) were rejected, while 72,100 applications were withdrawn or declared invalid.

Nearly 75,000 people are invalid, which means that the Ministry of the Interior believes that they are not eligible to apply or have failed to provide sufficient evidence to support their submission.

Approximately 400,000 cases remain unresolved and need to be processed.

The government has stated that it will issue “application certificates” to those awaiting a decision, which will serve as proof that they can retain their rights.

Officials said those who missed the deadline on Wednesday will not immediately see their rights revoked because they are protected by law.

On the contrary, if they have a reasonable reason for being late, they will be given “indefinite” time to complete the application for settled status.

Among those uneasy about Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union is the 55-year-old Dutch national Marlies Haselton, who has called Britain home for more than 30 years.

She said that despite obtaining a permanent status, she now feels insecure.

“I am worried about the future. As a foreigner, I just feel insecure about getting old here. The feeling of home I once owned is gone forever,” Haselton told The Associated Press.

Haselton said that because of Brexit, she and her British husband are considering moving to the Netherlands with their three children.

“I still love this country, and if I have to move, I will be heartbroken,” she said. “At the same time, I’m not sure if I want to stay. When it comes to a feeling that belongs to you, this is not something that can be done on a piece of paper.”