Britain has received 750,000 applications from EU citizens seeking to settle in the UK in the first four months of 2019, with Poles leading the way, according to official data.
The government’s scheme to offer an estimated 3.8 million EU nationals the right to live permanently in Britain after Brexit has been mired in controversy, AFP said.
Prime Minister Theresa May in January scrapped a £65 ($82) fee that would have been imposed had a so-called “no-deal Brexit” gone into effect.
The UK Interior Ministry said 103,0000 Polish citizens had applied for permanent residence in the first four months of the year. Romanians filed 90,000 applications and Italians 71,000, the figures, published on Thursday, showed. Portugal and Spain rounded out the top five.