“There is a lot of concern because many older people have the idea that, having been in the UK for so many years, they don't need to apply,” said Luke Piper, head of policy and advocacy at the organisation at a meeting with journalists in London.

According to the quarterly report by the Ministry of the Interior on the EU Settlement Scheme, EUSS, of the 6,546,210 applications made up to 31 March, only 167,800 were from citizens over 65 years of age.

In the case of Portugal, of the 444,940 applications, only 14,470 (3.3%) were made by people over 65 years of age.

Kuba Jabłonowski, a researcher at the University of Exeter, indicated that many of the approximately 20,000 monthly EUSS applications registered since the official deadline of 30 June 2021 are from elderly people.

The UK Government continues to accept applications from people with eligible grounds, including vulnerable people such as the elderly, who experience difficulties due to lack of information, digital skills or a language barrier.

From July 2021 to March 31, 2022, 211,900 late applications were received.

Registration with the EUSS is mandatory for anyone wishing to maintain the right to live, work or study in the country for Europeans of any age who started their residency by December 31, 2020.

The fact that the migratory status can only be proven digitally to employers, landlords or other entities has also been particularly evident for people with a lack of knowledge of the English language or digital literacy, namely the elderly.