This is how many EU citizens in Blackpool have applied to stay in the UK after Brexit

The EU Settlement Scheme allows resident EU and Swiss citizens, plus those from the European Economic Area countries to apply to continue living and working in the UK.

The Government has hailed the process as a success, saying it has received more than 3 million applications so far.

But EU citizens’ rights campaign group the3million says even a small percentage of individuals missing out means misery for thousands.

Official figures show that 2,800 applications were made in Blackpool up to the end of last year, of which 2,430 were finalised.

Of those, 1,550 applicants were granted settled status, meaning they have a permanent right to remain in the UK.

A further 870 were handed pre-settled status, which gives them permission to keep living in the country and the chance to reapply once they have done so for five years.

The rest of the applications had other outcomes, such as being refused, withdrawn or void, or invalid.

More than 3 million EU citizens have applied to live and work in the UK after Brexit, according to the Home Office, and more than 2.7 million have been granted permission to remain.

The national figures cover up to the end of January.

Home Secretary Priti Patel described the programme as the "biggest of its kind in British history", which would mean "EU citizens can evidence their rights for decades to come", adding: "It's now time for EU countries to adopt a similar scheme."

But Maike Bohn, co-founder of the3million, said the figures do not shed light on those who don’t apply, are refused unlawfully or discouraged from applying.

She added: “Just a small percentage of individuals falling through the cracks means misery for tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of people.

“Those people will face the full force of the hostile environment and the Government have so far avoided to say how it will handle those cases.”

In Blackpool, Polish nationals made the most applications up to the end of December (1,220), followed by people from Romania (610) and Latvia (180).

Italy and Hungary were also common places of origin for applicants, with 140 and 120 respectively.

Across the UK, Polish (512,310), Romanian (435,690) and Italian (290,990) nationals submitted the most applications.

Relatives of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who are not from any of those countries themselves but live in the UK under EU law are also allowed to apply.

Successful applicants can stay after the deadline on June 30 2021 once the Brexit transition period and freedom of movement end.

They can use the NHS, study and access public funds and benefits, as well as travel in and out of the country.

In Blackpool, 16% of applications were from under-18s, while just 1% were from people aged 65 and over.

The figures for the age groups stood at 14% and 2% respectively across the UK, which Ms Bohn described as “worryingly low”.