Prospect has welcomed the news that the government has agreed to scrap the £65 settled status fee for all EU citizens.

The news was announced by the Prime Minister in a statement on Monday and follows a long campaign by Prospect and other organisations who claimed the fee was unjustified.

Prospect's campaign saw dozens of employers commit to pay the fee for their own staff, and the union had put the government under pressure to do the same for public sector employers.

Responding to the scrapping of the fee, Prospect senior deputy general secretary Sue Ferns said:

“EU citizens make a vital contribution across our economy and society, it was always wrong to charge these people to stay in the UK and it is positive that the government has finally listened to Prospect and others who have been campaigning to scrap the fee.

“Despite this progress, the government continue to press ahead with a plan for the future immigration regime that would be incredibly damaging to our economy, especially in industries such as science and research.

“If the government really are in ‘listening mode’ then they should drop the immigration dogma and start listening to the evidence.”