Home Office launches £1 million advertising campaign for EU Settlement Scheme

A new £1 million wave of UK government advertising to encourage EU citizens to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme has launched. It builds on the £3.75 million campaign which supported the full Scheme launch in March. 

Outdoor advertising in around 2,400 places across the UK will be followed by eye-catching adverts on catch-up TV, radio and social media over the coming weeks.

Adverts will also appear in foreign language newspapers and radio stations right across the UK.

Minister of State for Security and Deputy for EU Exit and No Deal Preparation Brandon Lewis said: “I’m thrilled we’ve had more than two million applications to the EU Settlement Scheme already but there’s always more to do to raise awareness.

“That’s why I’ve launched this nationwide campaign which will reach people up and down the country through billboards, radio and social media so that EU citizens know how to apply and can get the status they need.”

To help raise awareness of the EU Settlement Scheme at a local level, the Home Office is also holding a series of innovative pop-up events across the UK where staff will answer questions and help people to apply in person.

Home Office Minister Brandon Lewis attended the launch in Great Yarmouth on Friday 6 September 2019 and other events this month will be taking place in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Tower Hamlets, Nottingham, Leeds and Birmingham.

The Home Office has also released a beta version of the EU Exit ID Document Check App for iPhone devices. The App is being tested on the Apple App Store for iPhone 8 and above, and will be available on iPhone 7 and 7 Plus following an upcoming iOS software update.

Individuals can apply to the EU Settlement Scheme using any laptop or mobile device. The App is entirely optional and is just one of several ways people can verify their identity, including by post or at one of the more than 80 locations across the UK where applicants can have their passport scanned and verified.

There is a wide range of support available for EU citizens and their families to help them apply. For example, the government has awarded up to £9 million to 57 voluntary and community sector organisations across the UK who are helping vulnerable people such as the homeless, disabled and elderly.

Additional support is also available to those EU citizens in the UK who do not have the appropriate access, skills or confidence to apply online. This includes more than 300 assisted digital locations across the UK where people can be supported through their application.

EU citizens have until December 2020 to apply.