The UK Home Office has told 1,473 EU citizens that their post-Brexit residency status was granted in error, leaving affected residents facing uncertainty over their right to remain in the country.
The cases involve people who were living in the UK before Brexit and had received either pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme. The Home Office says those affected were not eligible for the status based on information or evidence available when their applications were assessed.
The decision has prompted the campaign group the3million to prepare legal action, with the organisation aware of at least 50 cases. It argues that some of the affected individuals were legitimately entitled to residency rights under the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.
Among those affected are people who did not submit passports with their original applications, including individuals with dual nationality whose citizenship was questioned by officials.
In one recent case, the Home Office conceded that it had made a mistake after challenging an Italian woman’s status, agreeing to withdraw its decision that her pre-settled status had been granted in error.
The dispute has raised wider questions about how residency rights granted after Brexit can be reviewed or withdrawn and the safeguards available to affected residents.
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