New schemes like the points based immigration system will be brought into place - here's what you need to doNow that the UK has officially left the European Union, there are steps that EU nationals living in Coventry need to take to remain in the country.
EU and European Economic Area (EEA) citizens living in Coventry will need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Successful applications will allow them to continue to live legally in the UK beyond Brexit and protect their existing rights.
There is free help and advice for applications, offered through a partnership between Coventry City Council and the Central England Law Centre.
The biggest changes are the points based immigration system that is due to come into place, and other requirements you need to meet when applying for the settlement scheme.
Most importantly, there are steps you need to take now to ensure you are in the country legally.
What do I need to do?
Coventry City Council has partnered with the Central England Law Centre to provide free, independent and confidential support with the EU Settlement Scheme.
All EEA and EU citizens in the UK on or before December 31, 2020 must apply before June 31, 2021.
New rules, such as a points-based immigration system, will apply to all EEA and EU citizens who arrived in the UK on or after January 1, 2021 and wish to remain.
It is essential all EEA and EU citizens living in Coventry have made an application to the settlement scheme before June 30, 2021.
All EEA citizens must apply but also may need to apply on behalf of children, family members or carers.
Coventry City Council and the Central England Law Centre will work together to provide application support and advice, free legal advice, information sessions and digital support.
The partnership will also help clients with document retrieval, as well as signposting them to other services across the city.
Those wishing to access the support on offer can email
CoventryEUSS@coventry.gov.uk or call 07507 726 526 on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The team have said that applications are taking longer to be processed due to Covid-19.