EU Settlement Application First-hand Account
Here at Igloo we have had a member of our own team successfully go through the process of the EU settlement scheme. We recently completed a Q&A with them regarding the process of applying to the EU settlement scheme.
Q: Did you complete the application online?
A: I completed the process on my mobile phone using an app called, EU Exit: ID Document Check. This allows you to complete the application online and upload your documents to support your application. I believe if you don’t do it this way you have to send your documents off or attend a face to face meeting.
Q: Did you complete this application in your native language or English?
A: I completed it in English. I did notice that the guide to the application process is available in 26 languages.
Q: Was this a complicated and confusing process?
A: No, it was quite straight forward. Everything is explained on the GOV website (What you need to complete in the application).
Q: Is there an application fee?
A: No, it’s free to apply.
Q: What identification documents needs to be sent off for this application?
A: If you are completing the application on your phone you won’t be required to send any documents however, they ask you to scan the chip in your passport. You have only 5 attempts to scan the chip in your passport with your mobile phone otherwise you will have to send other documents.
Q: Does the application need to be completed all at once or could you take a break and come back to it?
A: You can take a break from completing the application pack and come back to it at a later date or time.
Q: Roughly how long did it take you to fill out the application?
A: The application took me 30 minutes to complete.
Q: How long did it take to receive your status from the moment of filling in your application?
A: From completing the application to receiving my settlement status it took about 1 month.
Q: What happened after you applied?
A: I have received an email with the letter attached informing me about my status. The email that you will receive is not proof of your status. You will not usually get a physical document however, you can view your status or prove your status to someone online.
To read more about the EU Settlement Scheme please CLICK HERE.
EU Settlement Scheme
If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen you can apply for the EU Settlement Scheme for you and your family to continue living in the UK after 30th June 2021. You will either get a settled or pre-settled status if the application is successful.
If you have received a settled status this will usually mean that you have been living in the UK before 31st December 2020 and you have lived in the UK for 5 years with a small number of exceptions (also known as ‘continuous residence’). If you have received a settled status, then you may live in the UK for as long as you like. You can spend up to 5 continuous years outside of the UK without losing your status (Swiss citizens can spend up to 4 years outside of the UK without losing their status). With this you will also be able to apply for a British citizenship.
A pre-settled status usually means that you have started living in the UK before 31st December 2020 however, you do not have 5 years of continuous residence. Once you have reached your 5 years of continuous residence in the UK then you can apply for the settled status before your pre-settled status expires. You can stay in the UK for a further 5 years from the date that you receive your pre-settled status. With a pre-settled status, you can spend 2 years in a row outside of the UK without losing your status.
Complete applications usually take 5 days to process however, this can take up to a month. The processing time will begin once they have received all the relevant documentation. Your application will take longer if they need to request more information from you, you submit a paper application or if you have a criminal record.
What you will need to apply:
- Proof of identity (valid passport or identity card)
- A photo of your face
- Proof of your residence in the UK (unless you have a valid permanent residence document)
If you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen you can use a valid passport, biometric residence card or biometric residence permit
How can you prove your identity for the EU settlement scheme?
- You can us the iPhone and Android app ‘EU Exit: ID Document Check’
- Book an appointment to scan the documents in person
- Enter the document details online and send your identity documents by post
How will they use your personal information to grant you a settlement scheme?
- Criminal and security checks
- National Insurance number to check with the Department for Work and Pensions and the HMRC
- Sharing the evidence with other organisations to protect against fraud
One of our Igloo team members successfully went through the EU Settlement Scheme process. We asked them a few questions that may help you during your application process. Read Now
Deadline to apply: 30th June 2021
Fees to apply: Free
APPLY NOW: https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families/applying-for-settled-status
COVID-19 Safety Measures
We have taken steps at our offices to ensure that our offices are safe for our employees and workers to return to as we start to welcome our team back to work.
At our Head Office we have ensured all the workstations are a minimum of 2 metres apart with no staff being asked to work opposite a colleague. We have fully risk assessed our office and have a Covid-19 Safe Systems of Work document that will be shared with all our returning head office team, which as well as social distancing measures includes appropriate safety equipment and products such as hand sanitiser, wipes and anti-bacterial spray placed frequently around the offices and near common touch points. We will also be giving returning employees a welcome back induction to explain in detail the new office rules and layout.
Many of our workers and employees work at our client’s sites where Igloo will be supporting our clients with welcome back inductions to advise returning workers of the new site rules and layout and providing details of site risk assessments.
Igloo is committed to ensuring the safety of all of our employees and workers whether that is at Igloo’s offices or at our client’s sites, we have representatives that are constantly reviewing the onsite safety and will make changes and suggestions as appropriate to ensure that risks are continually measured, monitored and responded to accordingly.
Furloughed & want to earn extra cash, then Igloo wants you!!
Furloughed & want to earn extra cash, then
Igloo wants you!!
Have you been furloughed by your current employer?
Do you still want or need to work?
If so, Igloo wants you on a temporary/ad-hoc basis
Under the guidelines of the Governments Job Retention Scheme although you are unable to work for the employer who has put you on this scheme you are able to work for another employer, providing your contract allows.
If you choose to do this then you will still be entitled to the 80% through your employer, whilst working temporarily on an assignment with Igloo, where you would receive competitive rates of pay and you will be paid weekly.
We are fully aware of the “furlough status” of an Employee or Agency Worker and we appreciate that once you have served three weeks on furlough status you may be required back to work at your current employers.
If you want to check this out for yourself please click on the below link which will take you to the page containing this information on the Governments website, scroll down to the section titled, While you’re on furlough.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-could-be-covered-by-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme
Check out Igloo’s latest jobs on the below link:
https://www.iglooautomotive.com/job-search/
If you haven’t got time to scroll through job listings, then click on the below link to simply register your interest and we will contact you to discuss suitable roles with you.
https://www.iglooautomotive.com/register/
1st CJRS Applications Submitted
Igloo are pleased to announce that the first Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) claim was successfully submitted on Thursday afternoon (23rd April). The claim included several hundred workers and covered the period up to 26th April 2020. It is now our intention to make one submission per week, to run in line with our weekly payroll, therefore allowing any further staff who are furloughed between now and the date of the scheme closing (30th June) to be added on a regular basis.
Due to the nature of the business, the first claim was not straightforward, with workers furloughed on a variety of dates, dependent on client requirements, whilst each individual claim had to be checked using the HMRC online calculator. Management would like to place on record their thanks to the team of James Mawby, Kieran Flood, Paulina Dziewiecka, Jess Lissaman and Alan the Border Collie for their help so far.
We have been told that the claim should be processed within six working days and, once the money has been received, we will be in a position to pay the funds, subject to the usual Tax and National Insurance deductions, to those workers who have been placed on the scheme.
The CJRS has produced considerable debate within the Temporary Recruitment sector, and it is worth noting that numerous agencies and umbrella companies have chosen not to utilise it. However, Igloo have decided to make use of the scheme, ensuring that our workforce have financial support during these unprecedented times.
Kind Regards,
Mike Scott
Igloo's Behind The Scenes CJRS Process
Up and down the country Employers, Employees and Agency Workers would have been delighted to learn that the HMRC’s portal went live on Monday 20th April 2020, putting all Employees and Agency Workers one step closer to getting their 80% payment of their wages from the Government in the form of a grant.
Since the announcement by the Chancellor on Friday 21st March 2020 about this scheme Employers, along with their legal teams and industry bodies, will have been frantically trying to understand and interpret this new legislation and decide exactly what a “Furloughed Status” means for an Employee, an Agency Worker and how this impacts the Employer.
From the initial announcement, businesses like Igloo were trying to ascertain if in actual fact their Agency Workers would even be able to be included in the scheme as none of the guidance or information coming out of the Government suggested that Agency Workers would be included until they released guidance late on Wednesday 26th March 2020 that specifically made reference to Agency Workers being included in the scheme.
We were delighted with this announcement and excited to share the news with our Agency Workers that we would do everything possible to ensure we could protect them in these truly difficult times.
From this day on we have been working around the clock along with our Legal Partners and The REC (our industry body) to not only understand the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) but what exactly was needed for Igloo to be compliant with the scheme and ready to apply when the portal opened.
The first question that needed to be answer was, “are Igloo going to put people on to the CJRS?” There has been a misconception that Employers have to do this. In reality Employers do not need to make use of this scheme should they choose not to, for whatever reason. This could be because Employers still need their employees and Agency Workers in the business or where there has been a reduction in work, they have had to look at other measures such as redundancy. In the specific case of Agency Workers, agencies could of course opt not place their workers on furlough.
Once our Director and Senior Management had decided Igloo would participate in the scheme the next step was for us to ascertain who exactly met the Government’s criteria and who’s assignments ended as a direct impact of the Coronavirus outbreak. We dedicated a member of the team to look after all the queries that were coming through and responded to every query individually to explain what we knew at that point.
Our Company Accountant then had the huge task of sending out letters to all those that did qualify, these letters needed to be personalised and with hundreds of letters to send, he lost evenings and parts of his Easter weekend getting these emailed out. Please join me in saying a massive thank you to Mike for working tirelessly to send out this communication!
If you have received one of these letters and have still not replied, then please do so.
That brings us up to Monday 20th April 2020 and the HMRC application portal and Job Retention Scheme Calculator going live.
We wanted to make our application at the earliest opportunity with the aim of recompensing our workers without delay. Now the portal is open and we can see what specific information is required, specifically for those on variable pay, we are in a position to start compiling the information ready for submission.
This is happening as we speak. We have assembled a team of five, even bringing one of the team back from furlough to help process these calculations to speed up the application process. This interim team is being headed up by our Company Accountant and we have 4 colleagues working within our head office (social distancing of course as you will see in the picture below) and one working from home with their avid PA, Alan the dog.
Please be assured that we are working extremely hard and pushing a lot of resources at this process to ensure we can get the grant application submitted without delay and fingers crossed the grant paid to Igloo and ultimately passed on to our Employees and Agency Workers as quickly and as efficiently as we possibly can, whilst ensuring we are fully compliant with the HMRC rules on the scheme.
Once we have any update on payments and payment schedules, we will update our website.
Please continue to email your queries through to compliance@igloodrivers.com
Once again, we thank you for your patience at this worrying and unprecedented time. Please continue to follow the Governments guidelines and stay safe.
from his home office
social distancing being strictly observed at our Head Office on Tuesday
COVID-19 Update
COVID-19 Update
Updated: 27/05/2020; 17:47hrs
Updated: 07/05/2020; 16:38hrs
Funds from the Second Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) Claim were paid over to our workers this morning. We have today made our third claim to HMRC, which covers the period from Monday 4th May to Sunday 10th May inclusive. We intend to continue making claims on a weekly basis until such time that our workers have new assignments to go to, or the CJRS ends.
If you require any information regarding the scheme, or you are not currently in the scheme but believe that you should be included, please email your enquiries to compliance@igloodrivers.com.
Updated: 29/04/2020; 17:52hrs
The first Furlough payment was received from HMRC on Wednesday 29th April. This included claims for workers whose furlough had been confirmed in writing as of 23rd April 2020. We have today been able to process the payroll for those workers included in the HMRC payment, and therefore payments will be made to them on Friday 1st May. Payslips will show a full breakdown of all Furlough Payments and will cover the period from the Furlough start to the later of Furlough end, or Sunday 26th April.
We intend to put in our next claim on Thursday 30th April, for the period from 27th April to 3rd May 2020, with adjustments for any workers whose Furlough had not been confirmed in writing as of 23rd April 2020.
Updated: 27/04/2020; 09:12hrs
The HMRC have approved our first claim application and we hope to have the payment through by the end of this week. Please continue to check back on here as once the funds are received we will announce when we will be running the payroll and when you can expect the money to hit your bank accounts.
Updated: 23/04/2020; 17:09hrs
Igloo are pleased to announce that the first Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) claim was successfully submitted on Thursday afternoon (23rd April). The claim included several hundred workers and covered the period up to 26th April 2020.
Read the latest news article from Igloo’s Company Accountant, Mike Scott by clicking on the below link:
Updated: 21/04/2020; 17:47hrs
The HMRC application portal is now live, please click the below link to read more about what has been happening behind the scenes at Igloo and where we are at currently with regards to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Updated: 17/04/2020; 14:01hrs
There was some more good news announced this week with the Government extending the cut-off date for new starters for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme from 28th February 2020 to the 19th March 2020, however this date is confusing for Employees and Agency Workers as it doesn’t cover everyone that started up to and including the 19th March 2020. This date extension is actually for when Igloo reported their Employees and Agency Workers to the HMRC on an RTI (Real Time Information) Submission. Please see further details below:
- Igloo’s weekly paid Employees and Agency Workers are reported to the HMRC on an RTI Submission each Friday that they are paid.
- Any Employees or Agency Workers for Igloo that are paid weekly are paid on a Friday for the previous week’s hours, worked between Monday and Sunday. There are some of Igloo’s Employees and Agency Workers where the weekly pay period is between Sunday and Saturday of the previous week.
- As the 19th March 2020 was a Thursday Igloo’s last RTI Submission that could be used to furlough weekly paid Employees and Agency Workers was Friday 13th March 2020. This RTI Submission would include any new starters up to and including Sunday 8th March 2020.
- Any weekly paid Employees or Agency Workers that started after Sunday 8th March 2020 would not have been reported to the HMRC on an RTI Submission until at least the 20th March 2020 and therefore we are unable to furlough these workers and make a claim to the Government in accordance with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Should you have any questions or queries regarding this please email compliance@igloodrivers.com
See below for further information regarding the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and how this applies to Igloo.
Updated: 09/04/2020; 10:16
LATEST UPDATE FOR PAYE WORKERS
Documentation regarding the Governments Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has now started to be sent out to our PAYE workers, please keep an eye out on your emails.
We have an awful lot to send out and whilst a lot have already been sent there are still a lot to go out, your ongoing patience is appreciated as we send these out to you.
If you have any questions or queries once you receive the documentation please email compliance@igloodrivers.com
Updated: 08/04/2020; 14:59
We would like to reassure you that we are continuing to take the current Coronavirus situation extremely seriously, and we will continue to put first the health, safety and well-being of all our staff.
Our approach is to continue to follow the latest guidance from both the Government and the NHS, and we will ensure that our employees and Agency Workers’ best interests are always put first, at the same time that we try to safeguard the long-term sustainability of the business.
On 20th March 2020, the Chancellor announced the creation of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) which allows UK Employers to apply for a grant for ‘furloughed employees.’ Employers can use a portal to claim for 80% of furloughed employees’ (employees on a leave of absence) usual monthly wage costs, up to £2,500 a month. The scheme will operate from 1st March 2020 for 3 months. It was clarified late on Wednesday 26th March 2020 that Agency Workers would also be included in this scheme.
The criteria for PAYE Agency Workers to qualify for this scheme is detailed below:
- The Agency Worker was on the PAYE payroll on the 28thFebruary 2020 (amended on 15th April: the Agency Worker was on the PAYE payroll on or before 19 March 2020 and were notified to HMRC on an RTI submission on or before 19 March 2020).
- The assignment that the Agency Worker was undertaking has temporarily ended due to the Government’s guidelines regarding Coronavirus.
- To be eligible for the grant, when on furlough, an employee or Agency Worker cannot undertake work for, or on behalf, of the organisation. This includes providing services or generating revenue.
For those PAYE Agency workers that do meet the criteria for this scheme it is important to understand that Igloo will apply for this grant, however this application will be subject to Government approval and although we do not expect many, if any, to be declined, there is always the chance that this could be the case.
The government are building a portal to allow employers to submit their claims for grants. This is expected to be by the end of April but no specific date has been released yet.
Over the coming days those Agency Workers that Igloo is proposing to ‘furlough’ will receive an email containing further information on CJRS and what this means to you.
Please be assured that Igloo’s Senior Management, along with our Legal Partners, are working around the clock to make this process as smooth as possible, and we will continue to update workers as we have further information available to us. We really appreciate your patience at this worrying and unprecedented time.
Umbrella Workers
If you are on an assignment with Igloo and currently paid through an umbrella company, then as an employee of that umbrella company you will need to contact them directly to discuss the Governments Job Retention Scheme. If you require any help with contacting your umbrella company or to discuss and obtain any updates on the current situation regarding the assignment you were on with Igloo, please contact your Igloo consultant who will be happy to help or email compliance@igloodrivers.com and we can assist you from there.
Limited Company Workers
If you are engaged through your own Limited Company with Igloo, we want to assure you that we are here to help you and if your engagement has temporarily come to an end then we look forward to re-engaging with your company once the Government advise businesses can start to get back to some normality. Igloo consultants are still available to take your calls, messages and emails to discuss and keep you up to date with the engagements you were on. We strongly recommend that you read the Governments information which is available on the below link:
Should you have any questions or queries in the meantime could you please email compliance@igloodrivers.com
Please continue to follow the Governments advice and keep yourself, your loved ones and the wider community safe.
Kind regards,
James Mawby
IR35 Reform
IR35 Reform
SOME GOOD NEWS….. IR35 reforms – Deferred until 2021
The government has postponed the IR35 reforms due to come in to force in April 2020 for twelve months in light of a Covid-19 fallout and the undue pressure on the UK’s economy.
All contractors operating via their own Ltd. Company or P.S.C will be able to continue this practice for a further 12 months.
Good news in light of the unprecedented environment we find ourselves in today.
COVID-19 and the impact this is having in our sectors
As key workers Igloo’s employees will play a key role in keeping the Transport and Logistics sector running smoothly.
There has been a boom in the Transport and Logistics sector due to the high demands in the supermarkets. Igloo’s team are working tirelessly, day and night, to keep this supply chain running smoothly and helping to keep the essentials in the supermarkets due to the high demands in the stores.
However, within the automotive industry we are seeing the total opposite with COVID-19 rapidly evolving, warehouses, docks and plants have all been affected, we are seeing warehouses are coming to a halt and manufacturing plants have suspended production to ensure the health and safety of all employees and the wider public. China is one of the largest markets in the automotive industry so therefore the production lines have stopped due to the lack of parts coming in. Many cars that are made in Spain, Italy and France are exported to other European countries however, during the lockdown in some of these countries people are unable to go out and buy cars or even make them, due to this no cars are being shipped into the UK docks which is having a major impact on companies and their employees.
As the World slowly locks itself down to contain this awful virus, Igloo will continue to play its part in ensuring that key workers are out working whilst ensuring these workers are safe and remain healthy. These people along with all the other key workers in other sectors across the country are playing an unbelievable role in ensuring all of our families are fed and watered each day.
Stay vigilant and safe and please ensure you are being socially responsible by keeping your distance between each other.
