Many eastern European migrant workers don’t know that the EU Settlement Scheme exists, new research suggests. A survey of EU citizens in Cambridgeshire by the Social Market Foundation think tank found that barely half were aware of the Settlement Scheme. Even among those intending to stay in the UK long term — which, to be legal, will require a Settlement Scheme application — over 40% were unaware of it. The report concludes that “the EU Settlement Scheme is still unknown to many migrants, and poorly understood by users”. The findings come from interviews in early 2020 with 90 migrant workers in the Cambridgeshire fens. Most were Lithuanian, Romanian or Bulgarian. Almost all worked in jobs considered “lower-skilled”. The resulting report, Best intentions: EU migrant workers in Fenland, looks at how these migrants have responded to recent political and immigration policy developments. It finds that there is “no evidence of a Brexodus of lower-skilled EU migrants”, with interviewees continuing to view the UK as an attractive place to find a good job, earn decent money and generally “build a better life”. Almost 40% planned to stay for longer than they originally planned and hardly any said that immigration status problems would affect that decision.
Read more: Freemovement, https://is.gd/wETKzz
