European Union (EU) citizens will have to answer three "simple" questions online if they want to stay in the UK after Brexit, says British Home Secretary Sajid Javid as the country unveils post-Brexit residency rules.
The issue of what would happen to the more than 3 million EU citizens currently living in Britain was one of the most contentious aspects of divorce talks before a withdrawal treaty was agreed in principle between London and Brussels in March.
Secretary Javid told a House of Lords committee on Thursday that the proposed EU Settlement Scheme would be a “simple and straightforward” process, designed to ensure that EU citizens could remain in the country indefinitely.
The government's "default" position would be to grant, not refuse, settled status, according to him.
People will be asked to prove their ID, whether they have criminal convictions and whether they live in the UK.
Their answers will be checked against government databases and a decision given "very quickly", said the UK home secretary.
The scheme will operate online and via a smartphone app, Javid said, and would be "as simple as people can reasonably expect", with most decisions turned around within two weeks or sooner.
The Home Office said the criminal record checks would be about "serious and persistent criminality, not parking fines".