An Italian woman has said she is being made to feel not welcome in the UK because of her ongoing problems with the Home Office.
Hielen Tekeste first moved to this country at the end of 2014 and then left in February 2017 so that her son with a disability could access specialist treatment in Italy. The European citizen returned to the UK in May last year, but claimed her pre-settled status was refused on grounds of breaking continuous residency.
She then requested for an administrative review to be carried out, which started in mid-June and nine months later she said she is still waiting for an outcome. Ms Tekeste said the decision delay is having a big impact on her life, saying "this is the biggest problem for me now".
Read more: Woman feels 'under water' because of immigration problems with Home Office
After Brexit, EU citizens had to apply for the EU settlement scheme in order to be able to remain in the country. The deadline for most people to apply to the scheme was June 30, 2021 and, to be eligible for the scheme on the basis of their residence, a person had to be living in the UK before the end of the EU exit transition period on December 31, 2020.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The EU Settlement Scheme has been an overwhelming success, with over 6.4 million applications received and over 5.7 million grants of status made by 28 February 2022.
“Mrs Tekeste’s case is currently awaiting administrative review and she has been updated on this. Alternative immigration routes can also be considered.”
However, EU Citizens' group the3million said Ms Tekeste's case is not out of the ordinary and claimed that three out of four people who have ever applied for an admin review since the scheme opened in 2019 are still waiting, for significant periods of time.
Ms Tekeste claimed she last heard from the Home Office in December, when they replied to an email she sent last August.
"All you get is automatic responses," she said. "They say the delay will not change the outcome, but it is changing my life.
"I have been waiting nine months for an outcome now. This is having a big impact in my life.
"Every time I get a no for an answer, it adds a rock to my bag and I am just going down. I was expecting for this to be closed in six months - I feel scammed.
"My life has been completely destroyed since January and at the moment I just feel so stressed. This is how people go crazy."
Ms Tekeste said the decision delay is complicating proceedings in a family legal issue and claimed that she is now facing thousands of pounds in legal fees because of this. In the last few months, she said she has been having to rely on her savings to get by, she continued, but that is a limited amount of money.
Ms Tekeste said that it has been really difficult for her to find work as a result of her immigration status, adding that a right to work check took 15 working days to be carried out instead of five. She said she is hoping to start this job next month, but said that the amount she will be paid is not much.
"I can only look for jobs through friends now," she continued. "I accepted a small job with small pay, because that is the only way for me to work right now. I had to accept casual work in worse conditions that I would have expected.
"I feel like I am having to justify myself and explain that I am legally living in the UK. It is very frustrating.
"They ask for your share code [to access online her immigration status] but, when I tell them they have to do a manual check, they are very disorientated.
"I need to earn for two people as I am a single mum and the only way to have a good salary is to get a skilled job."
The European citizen said that she was facing homelessness and claimed that she struggled to get support from the council. Ms Tekeste said that her understanding was that people should keep their rights while the administrative reviews is being done, but said this hadn't been her experience.
Ms Tekeste has now been able to find a place to live, but it is over her budget and she has had to pay the rent upfront. She said she kept being asked questions regarding her work and immigration status, but that she struggled to be able to give any certainties.
Also because of her immigration status, the Italian citizen also said she has not been able to get a place at university to do a masters' course or a PHD as she claimed she is being told she is not eligible.
"It is not right, I am just doing all I can to offer my child some safety and security for the future," she continued. "I feel like I am being treated like a piece of s**t. You do not feel like a first-class citizen, you are made to feel like a second or third class citizen.
"It makes you feel like European citizens are not welcome in this country. It should not be legal to keep you waiting for this long. I do not have another place to go and I feel like I am in prison.
"I just feel they get you to spend all your money and, once you do not have any hope, you go back to your country. I do feel like they are trying to make me go back."
A spokesperson for EU Citizens' group the 3million said: "Sadly, Hielen’s case is not out of the ordinary. Three out of four people who have ever applied for an admin review since the scheme opened in 2019 are still waiting, for significant periods of time.
"This is consistent with other delays we are seeing in the EU Settlement Scheme, which are skyrocketing. Over 300k people are still waiting for an initial decision.
"At the end of 2021, 35% of them had been waiting for 6-12 months. That’s 114,000 people stuck in limbo, and 12,400 more waiting for more than 12 months.
"Employers, banks, landlords, education providers are confused by the guidance or unwilling to provide their service to anyone without a granted status, and EU citizens are being denied basic services and fundamental rights. The government needs to recognise that denying people’s rights isn’t acceptable and it must properly resource the EU Settlement Scheme."
