The deadline to apply for EU settled status (EUSS) is fast approaching, and a delay in processing applications is causing anxiety for thousands of EU nationals living in the UK. Around five million applications have already been granted in some form, however, there is a logjam of up to 400,000 forms as of last week - and 10,000 to 12,000 applications made daily.

       The Home Office has now admitted processing the EUSS forms could take months, and EU nationals are being urged to submit their applications as soon as possible.

       The deadline for applying is fast approaching, with Wednesday, June 30, 2021, the last day applications are accepted.

       Immigration Minister Kevin Foster has said everyone who has applied by the deadline but has not yet received a decision will be protected.

       He said applicant's rights would be protected by law, however, cautioned the deadline would not be extended.

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       Mr Foster said: "The EU settlement scheme has been open publicly since March 2019. We believe this has given people plenty of time to apply.

       "The sheer fact there have been over 5.6 million applications by the end of last month is testament to this.

       "I want to be clear - we will not be extending the deadline.

       "Put simply, extending the deadline is not a solution in itself 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 even more uncertainty."

       Eligible EU citizens can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme until Wednesday, June 30.

       Those eligible, except in a few cases, are

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       This means you need to apply even if you:

       If you have children, you need to apply for them separately.

       If you apply to the EU Settlement Scheme successfully, you’ll be able to continue living and working in the UK after June 30, 2021.

       You’ll be given either:

       The Government website states: "You will not be asked to choose which you’re applying for.

       "Which status you get depends on how long you’ve been living in the UK when you apply.

       "Your rights will be different depending on which status you get and when you started living in the UK."

       If you’re an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen and you started living in the UK by December 31, 2020, you’ll need proof of:

       You can apply by visiting the Government's website here and clicking on 'Start now'.

       There may be a queue for those entering the site, with the current wait time up to 13 minutes at the time of writing.

       Once you reach the end of the queue, you will be given 25 minutes to start your application.