The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has today welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision to scrap the settled status fee. The fee had meant that EU citizens would be charged £65 to claim settled status after the UK leaves the European Union, with an additional charge of £32.50 for any dependents.
Analysis by the BBPA suggests that 71,000 EU nationals working in pubs will benefit from the settled status fee being scrapped, saving £4.6m in total for those employed by the pub sector. The decision will also reduce unnecessary paperwork for publicans across the UK, the majority of which operate as small businesses.
Some pub businesses had offered to pay the settled status fee for their EU staff, prior to the Prime Ministers decision to scrap it.
Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of the BBPA, commented, “The Prime Minister’s decision to scrap the settled status fee for EU nationals is a big boost for Britain’s pubs and their workforce.
“The vast majority of pubs operate as small businesses, so the scrapping of the settled status fee will be of huge relief to those publicans who faced unnecessary admin and knock on costs from it.
“Brewers and pubs employ as much as 24% of their workforce from overseas, rising to 40% in metropolitan areas and in some roles, such as kitchen staff, up to 80%. Already, companies have seen the number of EU workers in our sector decline.'
Simmonds concluded, 'As a result, many companies were prepared to pay the cost of settled status for their colleagues who had committed to staying. This is a good decision and supports vital employees in pubs and across the hospitality sector.
“This decision shows that the Government has been listening to the concerns of the beer and pub sector as well as the wider business community.”