An open letter to EU citizens living in the London Borough of Sutton

No matter where you are from, or how long you’ve lived here, every Sutton resident can play an important part in contributing to the life of the borough.

Just as important as your contribution to the borough, are your rights as a Sutton resident. The UK government is currently negotiating our exit from the European Union. Part of those negotiations includes the right for all Sutton residents who are from the EU to apply for what is known as ‘settled status’ to continue living in the UK.  

Gaining settled status will ensure your right to live in the UK and will allow you and your family to continue to have the same access to healthcare, benefits and pensions as you currently enjoy. It also retains the right for your family members outside of the UK to join you in future. With settlement, these rights will be secured in law, meaning you can continue to live in Sutton and be a valued part of our community.

Applications for the EU Settlement Scheme will open on 30 March 2019 and the process needs to be completed online. We value the diversity of our borough and the different contributions our residents make to our community. I therefore encourage all EU citizens currently living in Sutton to apply for pre-settlement or settlement status via the GOV.uk website.

Irish citizens will continue to enjoy their existing rights in the UK and do not need to apply, unless they wish to do so. Some individual agreements have been reached with other European countries that are not part of the EU.  All details and eligibility can be found at www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families.

All of the information you need to apply is available on the GOV.uk website. We are working with our partners and services including GP surgeries, libraries, pharmacies, schools, Sutton Housing Partnership and the voluntary sector to help ensure all eligible residents know of their rights.

As over 7% of Sutton’s population is of EU heritage, we strongly encourage you to help us spread this message to any friends and family that may be affected, so that we can all continue to live together in the diverse community that is Sutton.