In a 47-page response published late on 11 June, the Home Office formally addressed the Independent Monitoring Authority’s (IMA) damning findings on decision-making delays in the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). Internal data released for the first time show that 109,020 applications were awaiting a decision as of 31 March 2026, two-thirds of them from EU citizens upgrading from pre-settled to settled status. While the department accepts two of the IMA’s seven recommendations—including better routing of cases and escalation channels for overseas criminal-record checks—it rejects calls to collect extra equalities data or introduce broader delay-tracking metrics, citing resource constraints and privacy concerns. The Home Office insists that 99 percent of the 7.7 million applications logged since 2019 have been concluded and that most new cases are resolved within three months. Stakeholder groups say the remaining backlog still leaves thousands unable to prove status when changing jobs, renting property or travelling.
![Home Office answers watchdog over EU Settlement Scheme decision delays]()
In this context, VisaHQ’s UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers real-time status monitoring, tailored document checklists and one-to-one advisory support that can help both HR teams and individual applicants spot issues early and keep applications moving—minimising the risk of last-minute travel or onboarding disruptions.
Businesses continue to report last-minute boarding refusals for staff whose digital status has not updated in carriers’ systems. The government has promised “case progression dashboards” and closer liaison with EU states to obtain conviction certificates faster. For global mobility managers, the document offers rare insight into processing bottlenecks and emphasises the importance of early applications for status conversions. Companies should verify employees’ digital status in the Home Office employer checking service before assignment start dates and remind EU nationals to keep their UKVI accounts up to date to avoid travel disruption.
In this context, VisaHQ’s UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers real-time status monitoring, tailored document checklists and one-to-one advisory support that can help both HR teams and individual applicants spot issues early and keep applications moving—minimising the risk of last-minute travel or onboarding disruptions.
Businesses continue to report last-minute boarding refusals for staff whose digital status has not updated in carriers’ systems. The government has promised “case progression dashboards” and closer liaison with EU states to obtain conviction certificates faster. For global mobility managers, the document offers rare insight into processing bottlenecks and emphasises the importance of early applications for status conversions. Companies should verify employees’ digital status in the Home Office employer checking service before assignment start dates and remind EU nationals to keep their UKVI accounts up to date to avoid travel disruption.
