Residents from EU member states must register for ‘settled status’ to retain their rights to live and work in the Island after the Brexit transition period comes to an end on 31 December 2020.
Recent statistics have suggested that between 7,000 and 8,000 of the 20,000 EU nationals living in Jersey still need to apply.
But External Relations Minister Ian Gorst said that they had up until June 2021 to make the application.
‘They have still got time after the transition period ends. It’s six months after, so they have still got time to register,’ he said.
‘I don’t have the latest numbers, but Customs and Immigration says the number of people applying is increasing again, probably because the Brexit issue has become a hot topic again and people are starting to think about Brexit issues again.’
Meanwhile, Senator Gorst said that he thought the economic damage caused by the Covid-19 crisis would reduce the level of immigration to Jersey in the immediate future.
‘I think that agriculture and hospitality will still need some immigrant labour and the Home Affairs Minister stands ready to support that and make orders, as required, to allow that to happen,’ he said.
‘But we’re probably going to see less of a need for it. If you think about what the Fiscal Policy Panel [Jersey’s independent economic advisers] have said about an economic contraction, that means that there will be fewer jobs and probably fewer people coming here.’
