Home Office letter wrongly tells British citizens to apply for settled status

Long-term citizens alarmed at letter saying they risk losing right to work and healthcare unless they apply for post-Brexit status

A number of long-term British citizens have expressed alarm at receiving letters from the Home Office telling them they risk losing the right to work, benefits and free healthcare unless they apply for UK immigration status in the next six weeks.

Campaigners said they were concerned that the scattergun" mailshot, which was sent out to thousands of people instructing them to apply for EU settled status before the end of June, revealed weaknesses in the Home Office's databases, and a lack of bureaucratic clarity about who has the right to live in the UK.