Why we’re opening our doors to EU citizens this month

As an Estonian who moved to the UK in 2007 and chose to set up Wise here, London has felt like home for a long time. If I’d been able to vote in the EU referendum, I would have voted to remain part of the EU. Like many EU citizens living in the UK I didn’t get a say. The result is what it is and while it’s unclear what’s going to happen with Brexit, at Wise we want to make sure we are prepared for every eventuality. That means ensuring that employees originally from the EU can continue to live and work in the UK.

We’ve always tried to eliminate the hassle of living across borders, making it easier for people to manage their lives in different countries. So it felt right that we would help the way we know best: technology. By providing the right tech for the EU Settlement Scheme application, mandatory for all EU citizens in the UK after Brexit, we want to take some of the stress out of the process.

40% of our London team originally come from the EU, and they have concerns about their applications. Initially, it was the cost (£65 in the test phase). Early on, we agreed that Wise would cover the fee for employees so no one would have a financial burden.

Later there was another point of contention - the Android-only aspect of the application process. Some people realised that they didn’t have the right device and would have to send their passports via the post or go to an ID scanning centre and pay for the privilege.That’s why we decided to set up an Android pop-up in the office, so anyone can apply for the new scheme on the right tablet, whenever is convenient for them. No hassle and completely free.

But it’s not just our team who will be affected by this. You may be too. Between 9 and 11 April you are welcome to book an early morning or evening appointment to visit our offices and use our Android tablets to scan your documents for your application. You can book an available slot here. There will be soft drinks, friendly faces and of course an Android device for you to scan your ID documents. I’ll be doing mine too! Let’s not make this any more difficult than it should be and get settled at Wise.

London is open, and so are we.