WESTMINSTER has rejected a Scottish Government plea to extend the deadline for European citizens to apply for post-Brexit residency in the UK.

Immigration minister Kevin Foster said the UK would “not be extending the deadline” of June 30 for those wishing to apply for settled status.

He said the settlement scheme, which he called a “genuine success” despite criticisms over backlogs and delays, has been open since 2019, giving people “the time to apply”.

More than 5.6 million applications have been made to date, including more than 276,000 from EU nationals in Scotland.

Mr Foster said: “I want to be clear, we will not be extending the deadline.

“Put simply, extending the deadline is not the solution to reaching those people who have not yet applied, and we would just be in a position further down the line where we would be asked to extend again, creating more uncertainties.”

His comments followed SNP Europe minister Jenny Gilruth warning of a “deeply concerning” backlog, with hundreds of thousands of applications "yet to be processed by the Home Office”.

The UK voted five years ago today to leave the European Union by 52 per cent to 48%.

Scotland emphatically rejected Brexit by 62 per cent to 38%.

Ms Gilruth said: “It is just wrong that EU citizens who fail to apply by the deadline will suddenly become unlawfully resident in the UK.

“So the UK Government should make the common sense decision to extend the deadline, clear the backlog – and reform the scheme.”

Mr Foster stressed anyone who applies by next week’s deadline will “have their rights protected until the conclusion of their application by law”.

He added: “Our message very much is for people not to delay, and apply as soon as they can.”

While he said that the “high number of applications” meant there were cases still being determined, the minister stressed that people who apply by June 30 “will have their existing rights protected pending the outcome of their application”.

The minister continued: “To ensure there is no loss of rights whilst applications are pending a decision, we are issuing a Certificate of Application to those who submit a valid application by June 30 which they will be able to rely on as proof to access their right to work or rent, when verified by the relevant Home Office checking service.

“They will also be able to enter the UK as a resident and continue to receive benefits and healthcare: essentially, nothing will change for them until their application is concluded.”

He also said people would be able to make late applications to the scheme beyond the June 30 cut-off date, provided there were “reasonable grounds” for this.