Home Office says delays will not affect UK citizens returning with EU families

The Home Office is accused of making a return to Britain difficult for families of UK citizens who have been living in the EU. Photograph: Stephen Hird/Reuters

British citizens who want to return permanently visa-free to the UK with EU families post-Brexit will not be penalised by Home Office delays as long as they apply for their paperwork within the next two months, the government has said.

The confirmation will come as a relief to British citizens suffering anxiety and distress over Home Office delays because of the looming 29 March deadline to apply for the EU settlement scheme (EUSS).