THOUSANDS OF European nationals living in Scotland have still to apply for settled status with the final exit from the European Union a matter of weeks away.
New figures reveal that as of the end of November 225,000 people from mainly EU countries currently residing in Scotland have sought permanent settled status at the end of November - with just three days to go before Brexit is complete.
That is 9,000 less than the number of EU citizens that are living in Scotland, according to offical annual population survey figures. And there are understood to hundreds more who need to apply who are originally from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
The details emerged just over a week after Nicola Sturgeon sent an open letter to EU citizens living in Scotland explaining how "critical" it is for them to apply to remain in the country.
Across the UK, around 200,000 of the 4.48m settlement applications were still to be concluded, with 29,000 refused, 47,700 invalid and 42,900 withdrawn or void.
Today, the Citizens Advice network reveals that growing numbers of people sought immigration advice towards the end of the year, as the final Brexit looms.
In November the network provided 1,237 pieces of advice in relation to pre- and settled status, an increase in terms of overall advice provided of 16 per cent.
The figures include immigration advice delivered in bureaux and by the EU Citizens Support Service Helpline.
The EU Citizens Support Service has helped 10,145 people since it launched in April 2019, either by helping people with their application or giving people advice on the EU Settlement Scheme.
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) says that it expects to see increasing demand for immigration advice in 2021, ahead of the deadline for EU, European Economic Area (EEA), and Swiss citizens to apply for settled status in the UK, which is on June 30, 2021.
CAS strong communities spokesperson Gillian Fyfe said: “The growing demand for immigration advice reflects the level of uncertainty around the process of the future relationship between the UK and the EU towards the end of the year.
“In some senses however, it’s a real positive that people are seeking advice. EU, EEA and Swiss Citizens should understand that they have to apply for settled status, and regardless of the outcome of the EU/UK trade talks the deadline to apply is June 30, 2021.
“With so much uncertainty around the issue of Brexit this year and how things may look once the transition period ends in January it’s understandable for people to feel unsure about their rights. We can give people that peace of mind.
“Our message to people who haven’t applied is clear – there is still time and the Citizens Advice network is here to help. Don’t leave it to the last minute and try and get your application in as soon as possible in the New Year.”
In 2016, an official analysis showed that the majority of EU citizens residing in Scotland are from the so-called EU8 countries who joined the EU in 2004 - Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. They represented 59.3% of the total number of EU citizens living in Scotland.
A further estimated 10.5% reported their nationality as being from the Irish Republic.
And the employment rate for EU citizens was 76.8% - higher than the overall rate for Scotland. F or those from EU8 countries the employment rate was even higher, at 82.4% compared with 70.7% for the older EU member states and 73.3% for UK citizens.
Around two-thirds of all EU citizens in employment in Scotland work in three industry sectors: distribution, hotels and restaurants (26.3%); public administration, education and health (20.6%) and banking, finance and insurance (19.5%).
In terms of education and skills, over a third (36.7%) of EU citizens of working age in Scotland had a degree level qualification or higher, compared to just over a quarter (27.6%) of UK nationals.
In her letter to EU citizens living in Scotland, the First Minister said: " I believe that EU citizens in Scotland should not need to apply to protect the rights you already have to live, work and study here, but nevertheless there is a requirement, however unwelcome, to apply to the UK Government’s EU Settlement Scheme.
"Thankfully, many of you have now applied to the EU Settlement Scheme and secured your status. Yet many of you are still to secure your status, and I must sadly reiterate that it remains critical that everyone who wishes to stay in Scotland must complete an application by the 30th June 2021.
"Any EU citizen who is resident in Scotland before the 31st December 2020 is eligible to apply, and I encourage you to do so."
In 2017, the Scottish Government underlined the importance to Scotland of citizens of the EEA, which consists of the memmber states of the European Union (EU) and three countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
In a representation to the Migration Advisory Committee, ministers said migration was "absolutely critical" to ensuring sustainable population growth over the next 25 years which is the "single biggest driver of our economic growth".
It said that EU migration contributes to the "wide pool of low, medium and highly skilled labour essential for employers and businesses across sectors in Scotland".
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