Queens Cross reassures EU tenants over Brexit

Queens Cross is working to reassure tenants potentially affected by plans for the UK to leave the EU. The association is taking several steps to proactively explain the legal position of EU-born tenants after Brexit.

According to the latest census figures, there are 209,000 EU citizens living in Scotland, almost 4% of the population. Queens Cross currently has 250 households with tenants from other European Union countries, mainly Irish and Polish, but also from Latvia, Hungary and Romania.

Shona Stephen  |  chief executive, Queens Cross

The uncertainty around the UK leaving the European Union is understandably very stressful for our tenants who are affected by this. The confusion around the process of leaving is doing little to reassure them about what will happen when the UK eventually does leave. We feel as a responsible landlord we want to provide information and support to our tenants.

EU citizens currently living in the UK will have to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021 if they want to keep living in the UK after this date. To be eligible to apply, they will need to show they are resident in the UK by December next year.

Around 25 EU tenants turned up recently at a drop-in session to hear from an immigration lawyer about what the new rules are and to explain the legalities of their post-Brexit status.

Tenant Justyna Gogolin said she found the session very useful

“I didn’t even know about the existence of settled status before today so this has been helpful. I have only looked at taking on UK citizenship but that was going to be too expensive,” she said.

Queens Cross will continue to make legal advice available to tenants impacted by Brexit changes and have produced a leaflet to explain ‘Settled Status.’

Shona Stephen  |  chief executive, Queens Cross

Our advisors can answer all tenants’ questions and give them the reassurance they need that Queens Cross will still be their home and they are still very much welcome in the city.