Carluccio’s to pay for ‘settled status’ for EU staff

The 75-strong Italian casual dining chain told its workforce the move is what its Italian-born founder Antonio Carluccio, who arrived in London in 1975, would have wanted.

Carluccio’s says it is the first large restaurant brand to offer to help its employees apply for settled-status.

Under the EU Settlement Scheme, all EU citizens living in the UK will need to apply for the right to remain in the UK after Brexit.

The application fee is £65 and will give workers who have lived in the UK for five years or more settled status.

Under current rules, those with settled status can stay in the UK for as long as they like, apply for British citizenship, access public funds such as benefits and pensions and travel in and out of the country.

“There would be no Carluccio’s without one man making the journey from Europe to London,” says Carluccio’s CEO Mark Jones. “Today we employ over 2,300 people from over 80 countries. A large number, just like Antonio, decided to travel from mainland Europe and make their home in the UK.

"We are passionate about the value that they bring to our business and it is something which we are keen to protect. It’s what Antonio would have wanted.

“We appreciate that the current political landscape is unsettling for many of our employees and we want to do everything we can to reassure them that they are part of the Carluccio’s famiglia.”