The government is looking to recruit up to 4,000 EU citizens for a live trial of its post-Brexit registration process next month.

It will launch the test phase on 28 August in three Liverpool universities and 12 NHS trusts in the north-west of the country. It will mark the beginning of a three-year programme to register the estimated 3.8 million EU citizens settled in the UK under EU freedom of movement rules.

After Brexit, all EU citizens will be required to sign up for a new “settled status” to enable them to continue to work, live and receive benefits including healthcare in the UK.

The Home Office said the live pilot would “allow those working on the scheme to test the system using real applicants and make improvements ahead of the launch of the scheme’s phased rollout towards the end of 2018”.

Those who sign up to the live trial will be the first to receive settled status.

The 12 NHS trusts taking part in the trial are: Aintree University hospital; Blackpool teaching hospital; Countess of Chester hospital; East Lancashire hospitals; Lancashire teaching hospitals; Liverpool heart and chest hospitals; Liverpool women’s hospital; Southport and Ormskirk hospital; the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University hospitals; the Walton centre; Warrington and Halton hospitals; and the Wirral University teaching hospital.

The three universities taking part are the Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool John Moores University and the University of Liverpool.

The immigration minister, Caroline Nokes, said the scheme would make it easy for EU citizens to get the status they needed.

The scheme has been controversial because it will mean all EU citizens, who were up to now treated as if they were British, will be required to have official identity numbers that will be used by employers, landlords, banks and public services, including hospitals.

Last month the Home Office unveiled its online and smartphone application process, admitting the identity verification element did not work on iPhones.