Roma living in the UK are at risk of deportation following Brexit, charities have said, as they warn that many will be unable to provide the necessary documentation to be granted settled status.

Last month, the home secretary, Sajid Javid, said that EU nationals would be asked to answer “three simple questions” in an online form to continue living in the UK once it has left the EU.

Applicants will be asked to prove their identity, that they have no convictions and that they currently live in the UK.

Charities working with Roma communities across the UK have said that although most Roma are EU citizens and have the right to be in the UK, many are illiterate, would struggle to provide paperwork and do not have access to computers or smartphones.

Martin Burrell, chair of the Luton Roma Trust, which provides services for about 3,000 Roma in the town, said: “We’re all holding our breath to see what’s going to happen on the other side of Brexit. We’re all very worried that many of our families won’t be able to demonstrate that they have been resident in the UK.



“They may not be able to provide a list of addresses that they have lived in over the years and may not be able to demonstrate that they’ve been in regular work. We are all very fearful of what might happen to these families, many of whom have been here 10 or 15 years now.”



Mihai Bica, from the Roma Support Group, said: “The Roma community is the most vulnerable group when it comes to accessing their future settled status. [The Home Office scheme] is an online scheme and there are high levels of illiteracy among Roma people.”

Bica, a Romanian Roma who came to the UK in 2012, said that a tiny number of the organisation’s clients used email.

The Roma are traditionally a travelling group of people and are one of Europe’s most marginalised groups. Many came to the UK in the 1990s to escape persecution in eastern Europe. After the expansion of the EU in the 2000s, more Roma have arrived in search of a better life. It is estimated that around 300,000 live in the UK.

The warning by UK charities comes as threats by Italy’s far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, to expel thousands of Roma have drawn attention to prejudice against the group across Europe, and the problems they could face if deported to their country of origin.

Bica said some of his clients had fled parts of eastern Europe because they had been attacked or had their homes burned down. He said the UK should reflect on what was happening in Italy and examples of persecution elsewhere.



“Please don’t let the same thing happen here,” he said. “The UK has been a welcoming place for so many communities and it has improved the lives of Roma a lot after their arrival here. But if people don’t pay enough attention to what is happening in other countries, the UK could go the same way.”

Rebecca Hilsenrath, the chief executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said Roma experienced some of the worst disadvantage and prejudice of all ethnic groups in the UK.

“Previous surveys have found that 50% of people living in Britain will openly express unfavourable views of Roma people. They face significant difficulties in trying to access healthcare, education, employment and housing,” she said.

A Home Office spokesperson said that throughout the application process the government would be looking for reasons to grant, rather than to refuse, settled status. “We recognise that we need to reach out to and support a wide range of vulnerable groups, such as the Roma, whose needs will vary. These groups will include those that cannot access, or aren’t confident with, technology and non-English speakers.”