EXPOSED: The secret backdoor bringing migrants into Britain – and the £1.8bn EU ‘stitch-up’ behind it

A report by Brexit Facts4EU and two campaign groups says the EU Settlement Scheme’s “Joining Family Members” route remains open-ended and has allowed hundreds of thousands of people to seek UK residence, including many from outside the EU. The report argues the route merits greater scrutiny while public debate focuses on irregular Channel crossings.

Home Office figures cited in the article show about 8.84 million applications have been decided under the scheme, with roughly 6.1 million approved. The report estimates that processing the scheme accounted for £1.8 billion of Home Office spending between 2020/21 and 2025/26, based on its share of total casework; that figure excludes benefits. Former Brexit minister David Jones called for greater transparency, while former minister John Redwood criticised the scale of migration.