The Financial Times is reporting today that “around 141,000” EU citizens had their digital status updated to “refused” last month. Their applications were previously refused by the Home Office but for some reason their online status had not been updated. Online status is used by employers, landlords, banks, the NHS, local authorities and others to check someone is eligible to receive services. The article goes on to point out that those affected will now have their welfare benefits cut off and suggests there is a risk of their having to backpay benefit payments as well.
They have all just been pitched into the hostile environment, basically. Apparently the EU is not happy, unsurprisingly.
