Building a Resilient Future for the EUSS Sector

At Seraphus, our commitment to EU citizens and their EU citizen family members goes beyond casework. Whilst we provide frontline support to individuals navigating the complex legal landscape of the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), we also collaborate with the wider sector serving these communities to help ensure EU citizens can secure and exercise their rights in the UK.

Through our leadership in convening the Civil Society EUSS Alliance, and more recently the EU Citizens in Scotland Support Network and the Northern Ireland EUSS Support Network, we have valuable insight into the wealth of good practice taking place nationwide. At the same time, we see first-hand the persistent challenges advisers and organisations supporting EU citizens face every day.

The issues experienced by organisations working with EU communities mirror those seen across the migration and charity sectors more broadly. Numerous reports and surveys highlight that many small charities are stretched thin, operating with limited financial reserves, rising demand and shrinking funding. The result is a real risk of service closure, staff reduction and widespread burnout across staff, from frontline workers to organisational leads.

These pressures don’t just affect organisational and staff wellbeing. They have a direct and harmful impact on vulnerable communities they serve. At the same time Local authorities, a vital part of support for vulnerable groups, are also under immense strain, with many at risk of bankruptcy and in need of emergency financial support. 

Major funders have shifted focus. Instead of directly funding casework, they increasingly expect the third sector to use their expertise to advocate for policy and systems change to improve the immigration system for all migrants. While this is important, those of us committed to ensuring that vulnerable individuals can access justice that is knowledgeable, affordable, and truly accessible, are concerned that this shift leaves frontline organisations struggling to sustain their important work.

The sector supporting EU citizens, many of which are migrant-led and grounded in lived experience of the EUSS, continues to report the impact of these intersecting challenges. Without sustainable support there is a growing risk that small, community-rooted organisations and the knowledge and expertise of individual advisers, may disappear altogether.

Although millions have already secured their status since the launch of the EUSS in 2019, many remain at risk and need advice and support. Without resilience, the sector will struggle to adapt and evolve this work to ensure people are not left behind. 

With the above context in mind, Seraphus convened a session titled Building a Resilient EUSS Sector at the recent EU Citizens’ Gathering in July 2025, the flagship event of the European Union Delegation to the United Kingdom (EU Delegation). This discussion explored what resilience means, focusing on three key areas: 

1. sustainable income and funding; 
2. retention and development of skills and expertise; and
3. long-term impact and sector growth.

Our four speakers were:

• Naveed Somani – An independent evaluator and learning partner working across the legal, philanthropic, and social justice sectors. He leads RLI Consulting Limited, which designs and evaluates programmes that promote access to justice and drive systems change.
• Eda Tajuddin – Head of Programmes at Social Change Nest, an organisation that develops and scales new funding models, working to remove barriers that prevent communities from accessing funding.
• Mary Kemp – Co-founder of AI Potential, which empowers people to use AI tools for growth, efficiency, and innovation.
• Graham Russell – North West Regional Manager at Cranfield Trust, which offers pro bono services and free resources to charities. He supports organisations in areas such as strategy and business planning, financial management, governance, and impact measurement.

The discussion highlighted the need for the EUSS sector to use its casework not only to support individuals but also to advocate for continued access to justice for EU citizens. This must be done by engaging funders and stakeholders across the wider migration sector and showcasing the unique expertise of the sector. 

One clear message emerged from our session: the EUSS sector’s expertise is invaluable, not only for EU citizens but for shaping how the wider migration sector navigates the UK’s increasingly digitised immigration system.

There are growing opportunities for collaboration and knowledge-sharing across sectors both locally and nationally, but they require clear purpose, intentional leadership, and investment in people as well as organisations.

While the challenges facing the sector are undeniable, building a resilient EUSS sector means maintaining a dual focus: on the strength and sustainability of organisations, and equally, on the skills, wellbeing, and development of the individuals within them. Despite the challenges, what emerged from the discussion is, there are already a wealth of support and expertise available within the sector. The next step is ensuring it is accessible and sustainable.

As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting EU citizens and the sector, The EU Delegation continues to play an important role in convening these discussions. A follow-up event was held in September to build on the outcomes of the July session. In addition to sharing learning and exploring further support for the sector, discussions highlighted the importance of fostering collaboration with others in the wider migration space, including statutory bodies. The need to show solidarity is particularly urgent given the increasing hostility toward migrants and the growing challenges to the human right for safe and dignified migration to the UK, developments that place EU communities, and the organisations supporting them, at heightened risk.