Reaching out to European citizens in Northern Ireland

Since the UK left the EU and EU citizens living here have faced a new immigration reality through the introduction of the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). 

There have been challenges for those citizens, and the organisations supporting them, in making sure they retain their rights to reside, work and live in the UK. Especially for EU citizens with vulnerabilities, the challenges have only increased in the past few years as the main deadline for EU citizens living in the UK before December 2020 has passed. 

Those who have not yet obtained their EUSS status or who want to bring eligible family members to the UK, now face ever increasing complex application processes requiring specialised expertise, while government and independent funding for the EUSS sector dwindles. Few places feel the impact of this as strongly as Northern Ireland where the separate jurisdiction and the small cohort of advisers make the lack of specialised EUSS knowledge felt particularly acutely. 

Armed with expert knowledge on the EUSS, Seraphus’ Legal Service Manager Anna Hawkes travelled to Northern Ireland in May to reach those EU citizens who are struggling with their legal issues, and numerous local organisation who are working with and supporting EU citizens.

During her visit, Anna was able to deliver information sessions on the EUSS in Dungannon and Belfast and supported local EU national communities with legal surgeries in Portadown. 

While delivering sessions on the EUSS was the main purpose of the visit, Anna was also able to gain a better understanding of the immigration advice sector in Northern Ireland and the challenges organisations are facing in obtaining appropriate legal assistance with complex EUSS cases. Whereas the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales have provided extra financial support for advice provision to EU citizens, similar funding has not been forthcoming from the Northern Ireland devolved government. Despite the complicating factor of being the only part of the United Kingdom sharing a land border with the EU – an open border due to the Good Friday agreement – no further investment has been made to the EUSS advice sector there. 

Because of the distinct legal jurisdiction in Northern Ireland, solicitors and barristers registered in the jurisdiction of England and Wales are limited in the type of legal work which they can carry out in Northern Ireland. The gap in expertise in Northern Ireland can therefore not easily be filled by lawyers practicing in England and Wales, despite possessing the legal knowledge.  

The few organisations in Northern Ireland which are funded by the Home Office to provide advice to vulnerable applicants who are struggling to locate appropriately accredited advisors to take on complex cases and potential legal challenges. As a result, EU citizens  may struggle to access the support they need because of problems with their immigration status and may be too afraid to approach the authorities for fear that they would be removed from the country. Thus, a badly funded advice sector could lead to people not being able to enforce their rights, or worse, cause harm for those who most need to access support. By defunding the sector, we do not make the question of immigration ‘disappear’, instead it risks causing further segregation.

Seraphus aims to ensure immigration advice is accessible and specialised for those who need it the most by upskilling and sharing knowledge with civil society in Northern Ireland, to ensure people with vulnerabilities, including EU citizens and their families under the EUSS, have access to good quality, accessible support. 

Following our engagement in Northern Ireland, Seraphus is in the process of setting up an Northern Ireland EUSS Support Network for such organisations. The aim of this Network, a more place-based counterpart to the Civil Society EUSS Alliance, is to create a space for advisers across Northern Ireland to meet, share experiences, and opportunities for collaboration, and to build their skills and knowledge in order to offer advice and support to vulnerable EU citizens and their family members in the specific context of Northern Ireland. 

The sessions in Northern Ireland in May were organised with the help of the3million’s community lawyeringproject and funded by the EU Delegation.  

If your organisation works with people under the EUSS in and across the UK, and you would like to find out more about the support Seraphus can offer please visit eucitizens.uk and get in touch. 

If your organisation operates in Northern Ireland and you would like to join the Northern Ireland EUSS Support Network ,please contact Lydia Martin.