The Government is also on track to establish the independent authority for citizens` rights agreements, which will ensure that the citizens` rights part of the withdrawal agreement and the EEA-EFTA separation agreement in the United Kingdom and Gibraltar are respected. Information about his duties was recently published on gov.uk. 122.Many of the issues we discussed in this report are related to what needs to be done now, but others can only come forward or intensify after the end of the transition period. After 31 December 2020, the rights of EU citizens in the UK will need to be monitored more closely. It also means that the independent supervisory authority is accountable to Parliament. As the transitional period for Brexit expires on 31 December, the government has provided for a six-month “grace period” – until 30 June 2021 – during which EEA citizens will be able to apply for the EU resolution system and assert their rights under the withdrawal agreement. Subsequently, those who have not acquired a pre-defined status or a regulated status under the plan become illegitimate residents. In the UK, EU citizens and their family members with pre-established status under the EU settlement system have obtained their rights under UK law. The EU resolution programme is a success and, as of 30 September 2020, more than 4 million applications have been received, of which nearly 3.8 million have already been granted.

The government has adopted measures at an early stage to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK and there is still sufficient time to apply before the 30 June 2021 deadline. A scheme for the authorisation of border workers will also be put in place, the opening date of which is expected to be announced shortly. In the run-up to the end of the transition period and beyond, on 19 October 2020, the Government published a “declaring” the gov.uk to help EU citizens in the UK and British EU citizens understand their rights and rights through the withdrawal agreement. The withdrawal agreement generally guarantees citizens and their family members the same rights as they do today: they can continue to live, study, work and travel freely between the UK and the EU. The Government will continue to work closely with the EU and Member States to ensure that citizens` rights are protected and that individuals are aware of the measures necessary to safeguard their rights and have access to rights arising from these rights in the future. Further details on the status of the implementation of the citizens` rights part of the withdrawal agreement will be made available to Parliament. 116.The UK will leave the transition period at the end of 2020 to shape its future outside the EU with its own independent immigration policy. On 1 January 2021, there will be fundamental changes for citizens across Europe. EU citizens in the UK still have six months to apply for settled status. This could coincide with an increase in complex cases and the consequences of a digital system on proof of their status. For British EU nationals, thousands of people could consider a new application process to obtain a status that protects their rights in the country where they thought it was their country of origin.