EU Settlement Scheme Data Linkage Project
The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) Data Linkage Project is an ADR Wales initiative born out of the need to improve the evidence base on EU citizens in Wales who are part of the EU Settlement Scheme.
It aims to anonymously link Home Office data with other data already held within the SAIL Databank, enabling researchers and policymakers to better understand the experiences of EU citizens with Settled Status, and therefore to develop better informed policy and services that address the needs of this potentially vulnerable population.
The data
A crucial element of understanding the experiences of EU citizens with Settled Status in Wales is understanding how their experiences differ from those of the rest of the population. The wealth of de-identified data in the SAIL Databank provides the opportunity to develop a closely matched control group of British citizens with similar characteristics. This could help explore whether or not EU citizens with Settled Status have different experiences to British citizens.
There are many elements researchers within this project aim to explore, including:
- Health (including mental health) of EU citizens in Wales. This data linkage will, for instance, provide an opportunity to compare the health experiences of EU citizens with the rest of the population in Wales.
- EU citizens’ involvement in the workforce. Understanding trends in the workforce is crucial to help maintain and improve the health of the economy. This research will investigate the experiences of EU citizens in the workforce.
- Educational experiences of EU citizens. As education attainment is such an important predictor of other outcomes, an understanding of the education experiences of EU citizens would be invaluable for supporting them in the future.
What is the potential of this newly linked data?
Combining EU Settlement Scheme data with other datasets will help us gain a better understanding of the experiences and outcomes of EU citizens in Wales, thereby generating better evidence to help inform policies. We hope this research can be expanded to the rest of the UK, and help inform all four countries about the particular needs of EU citizens post-Brexit.
Project details
- Project leads: Prof Stephen Drinkwater, Roehampton University; Matthew Curds, Dr Ffion Lloyd-Williams and Nick Webster, Welsh Government
- Funding amount: £177,053
- Duration: July 2020 – December 2023
You can get in touch with the project team via ad.euss@gov.wales or ad.euss@llyw.cymru.
This project is funded via the ADR UK Strategic Hub Fund, a dedicated fund for commissioning research using newly linked administrative data, in consultation with the former Research Commissioning Board (RCB).
Governance & Structures
Steering Group
This Steering Group consists of civil servants specialising in EU citizens migration and rights, research, and statistics; academics; and third sector organisation professionals specialising in migration and citizens’ rights. The Steering Group meets approximately every 3 months.
Purpose
- Give strategic direction to the project and ensure project objectives are being met
- Monitor progress towards goals and agree proposed actions at critical points in project progress
- Oversee delivery of the Research Ready Dataset (RRD)
- Monitor project risks, suggest and oversee mitigations
- Raise any ethical issues they may observe.
- Champion the EUSS Data Linkage Project within and beyond the organisations they represent
- Identify opportunities to acquire additional funding or resources and links with other projects or initiatives
- Advise on ways the project might be built on
Stakeholder Group
This Stakeholder Group consists of civil servants specialising in EU citizens migration and rights and third sector organisation professionals specialising in migration and citizens’ rights. The Stakeholder Group meets approximately every 3 months.
Purpose
The role of the EUSS Project Stakeholder Consultation Group is to facilitate engagement and communication between the EUSS data linkage project colleagues and representatives of stakeholder organisations with an interest in the subject matter of the project.
The stakeholder consultation group sets out to achieve the following objectives:
- Provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge and expertise with regard to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).
- Increase awareness of the EUSS Data Linkage Project and its purpose.
- Act as advisors to the research as appropriate.
- Comment on the data and interpretation of findings.
- Communicating research findings to relevant organisations and EU citizens as appropriate.
Publications
Report: EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS): a review of the Literature
Data Insight: European Union migrants living in Wales
This Data Insight examines the differences between the number of European Union (EU) migrants living in Wales, and other countries of the UK, using different data sources. It particularly focuses on applications to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), which has been a requirement for EU nationals living in the UK following the UK’s decision to leave the EU. In addition to considering the number of EU migrants from the different data sources, it also compares information on the origin countries of EU migrants to the UK.
News & Blogs
Literature review reveals insights into how EU nationals navigate their lives in the UK
Data from the EU Settlement Scheme Demonstrates the Challenge of Estimating the Population of EU Migrants Living in Wales
ADR UK funds research to understand experiences of people with EU Pre-Settled and Settled Status
Team Members
Matthew Curds
Head of Major Projects & Project Development
Stephen Drinkwater
Academic Lead, EUSS project
Ffion Lloyd-Williams
Senior Research Officer, EUSS project