A GERMAN woman who has lived in the UK for almost 50 years said the stress she felt in trying to apply for post-Brexit residency made her suicidal.

Liz, who only wished to be referred to by her first name, has lived in the same flat in Brighton since she arrived in the country 44 years ago.

The 68-year-old described herself as being in a “state of shock and panic” as she tried to submit her application to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).

Liz, who lives with her 81-year-old Irish husband, discovered her passport had expired but was unable to renew it during the coronavirus pandemic because her embassy was shut during lockdown.

This meant she could not apply to the scheme online and has not been able to get an appointment with her embassy until the end of next month.

After trying to contact the Home Office helpline but facing long delays on hold with calls often disconnected, she turned to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau for help and learned she could request a paper application and provide other ID documents instead.

She was eventually able to submit the 39-page form on June 21.

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But in the meantime she was sent a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) warning her the housing benefits she receives for her elderly husband and her access to free healthcare could be lost if she did not apply to the EUSS – something she said made her feel “threatened” and “distressed”.

Liz said: “At no point had I intended not to apply. But that letter - that night I was on to a suicide helpline because the world just came crashing down around me.

“The whole scenario put me in a state of panic and shock.”

Describing the process as “hugely distressing”, she said it has made her want to leave the place she has called home for nearly half a century.

She said: “I left Germany when I was 24 years old. I have made England my home, I have loved this country for 44 years.

"This is where my friends are, this is where my family is. We are happy here.

“But to be perfectly honest, at this minute, I would like nothing better than to be able to leave it because this is really horrendous.

“I could understand if I had a criminal record, but I’ve not put a foot wrong, I’m a decent person.

“I have a national insurance number, a working life, living in the same address, what else do I have to prove to the Home Office?”

“I feel in a position that I don’t deserve to be in somehow.”

Although the Home Office has said anyone who submitted an application by the deadline will have their rights protected while they await a decision on their immigration status, Liz said the future still feels uncertain as she does not know when she will receive a decision and feels extra time should have been given for applicants in light of delays caused by the pandemic.

She said: “My husband needs a lot of support and help.

"The stress levels in our household are unbelievable. All this on top of the pandemic and related issues is making both of us ill.

“If it hadn’t been for Covid, my embassy would have been open, I would have had my passport and it would have been no issue at all. I also feel the Home Office helpline is under resourced.

“I hope it can be resolved and I hope whatever I have been through and learnt in the process may help some other people.”

The Home Office changed the rules to allow people to apply online with an expired passport or national ID card two days before today's deadline, according to an email from the department seen by PA.

The department said the helpline – known as the Settlement Resolution Centre – has seen a surge in calls as the EUSS application deadline approaches, but also stressed it continues to help thousands of people every day.

The Home Office confirmed HMRC and the DWP had written to people to “encourage” them to apply to the EUSS, adding that it was keen to ensure anyone receiving benefits has the opportunity to do so.