EU citizens are being discriminated against and overlooked for jobs and tenancies ahead of Brexit.

Sky News has found that landlords and employers are asking applicants from the EU to provide copies of their settled status documentation.

These documents are designed to prove a person’s right to live and work in the UK after Brexit, but at the moment, while the UK is still an EU member, they are not legally relevant.

The request is illegal and there are fears it’s being used as an excuse not to offer jobs and tenancies to EU citizens.

Giulia Pettenuzzo has lived in London for two and a half years and has done a number of jobs in that time. She also writes a blog for Italians hoping to find work in London.

When she recently applied for a new job she was shocked to be asked for her settled status documents.

She recalls: “When I had the interview they asked me to show them my documents, my ID, and I gave them my passport.

“They said, you are from Italy? And I said ‘yes, I can work with my passport’ but after they ask me to do the settled status forms.”

She hadn’t yet applied and had to rush through the process that night.

Ms Pettenuzzo continued: “I was worried and it was a bit stressful because I had to do it very quickly.

“Basically they said if you don’t do it, you can’t sign the contract.”

Ms Pettenuzzo said she was lucky because the company helped her with the process and did offer her the job, but experts say there are cases where the paperwork delay means it’s often just easier for a landlord or employer to offer the job or tenancy to a UK citizen.

Barbara Drozdowicz runs the East European Resource Centre which holds daily clinics to help vulnerable people apply for settled status.

She says discrimination against eastern Europeans in the UK in increasing.

Ms Drozdowicz continued: “Whether intentional or unintentional it’s still discrimination.

“Settled status can be seen as an additional tool of discrimination for those who might be inclined to do it anyway.

“There are cases where terms and conditions of employment are worsened because of settled status, we are being told, ‘I can choose whoever I want, sit down and shut up’.

“One of the problems with discrimination is there is no access to justice for victims of it, it’s not simple, you don’t have one single enforcement body you can go to.”

Hundreds of people queue every day for the support services her centre offers.

The settled status application process has been open since March but has been criticised for being too complicated and inaccessible for those who are older, speak little English or who have poor IT skills.

In figures published in August, just over 1.3 million people have applied to settled status, but that is only 38% of the total population.

The government has awarded £9m in grants to charities more able to reach vulnerable and isolated communities but there is real concern that this isn’t enough, that thousands still don’t know they have to apply and risk becoming undocumented migrants overnight.

Tahmid Chowdhury runs Here For Good, a charity that offers free immigration advice.

His organisation received grant funding but he is still very worried about people falling through the cracks.

He said: “There’s a huge amount of work to do, the easiest part has already been done.

“There needs to be a much bigger public awareness campaign, of settled status, that applies to both EU citizens, but even more so to individuals who are in positions of power, whether they’re landlords or local authorities or whatever.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Employers should continue to conduct current right to work checks on all prospective employees in line with published guidance. Those that don’t would be breaking the law prohibiting discrimination.

“The government is working with thousands of stakeholders across the UK to increase awareness of the EU Settlement Scheme.”

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