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| - Thousands of "vulnerable" Europeans living in the United Kingdom risk losing their rights because of Brexit, campaigners warned on Thursday. Britain left the European Union in January but remains under EU rules until the end of a transition period on December 31, as both sides try to agree terms for their new relationship. EU citizens already living in the country can keep their rights after January 1 after applying for residency status under new immigration rules. Some 3.9 million applications were made by the end of September, according to the government, and 56 percent have been granted "settled status" . The status applies to people who have lived in the UK for a continuous period of at least five years, allowing them to work and receive social benefits after Brexit. "Pre-settled status" has been given to 42 percent of applicants who have lived in the UK for less than five years, who can then apply for permanent residency after five years. Two percent of applications have been withdrawn or refused. But The3Million, which defends EU citizens' rights, voiced concern that people in short-term jobs and the elderly could fall through the cracks if they do not apply by June 2021. "Behind the large number of applications... there is a great amount of people who don't know their rights," said the group's Alexandra Bulat. They include people in care homes or who are isolated, she told a news conference. The exact numbers are unknown. But The3million said last year that seven percent of Europeans living in the UK did not think they would apply for settled or pre-settled status. "If you think there are four million plus people in the country, seven percent is a high number of people. I reckon it's thousands who miss out," co-founder Maike Bohn told AFP. Children with European citizenship whose parents have not applied for residency also risk being deported, said Tahmid Chowdhury, from the Here for Good project. He said some 300 to 400 European children are in an extremely vulnerable position and risked not being able to access public health services for free. The3Million are calling for guarantees from the UK government to prevent at-risk people being in the country unlawfully. acc-phz/jwp/ach
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