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Marlies Haselton has called Britain home for more than 30 years. The Dutch national married a Briton, had her children there, and considers herself 鈥減art and parcel鈥� of the United Kingdom. Until Britain鈥檚 divorce from the European Union, she had never given a thought to her immigration status in the U.K.

Ms. Haselton is among the millions of Europeans who have freely lived, worked, and studied in the U.K. for decades, but whose rights are no longer automatically granted due to Brexit. Britain鈥檚 government introduced a 鈥渟ettlement鈥� plan for the country鈥檚 large European migrant community in 2019, and the deadline for applications is Wednesday.

From Thursday, any European migrant who hasn鈥檛 applied will lose their legal right to work, rent housing, and access some hospital treatments or welfare benefits in the U.K. They may even be subject to deportation.

Meanwhile, the freedom of movement that over 1 million Britons have long enjoyed in EU countries is also ending. Those applying for post-Brexit residency permits in France also face a deadline on Wednesday.

Campaigners in the U.K. are worried that tens or even hundreds of thousands of Europeans may not have applied by the deadline.

Many older people who have lived in the U.K. for decades are not aware they have to apply, and official figures show that only 2% of applicants were 65 years old or older. Many parents also don鈥檛 realize they have to apply for their children, migrants rights鈥� groups say.

Other vulnerable people, such as an estimated 2,000 children in social care, also risk falling through the cracks and ending up with no legal status.

For Ms. Haselton and many others, it鈥檚 a moment that drives home the impact of Britain鈥檚 referendum to leave the EU five years ago.

Although Ms. Haselton successfully received her 鈥渟ettled鈥� status, meaning she can reside permanently in the U.K., she said the whole process has made her feel insecure about the life she built in Britain.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel settled,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 concerned about the future. I just don鈥檛 have a safe feeling about growing old here as a foreigner. The sense of home I used to have is gone.鈥�

Britain鈥檚 government says some 5.6 million people聽鈥� the majority from Poland and Romania聽鈥� have applied, far more than the initial estimates. While about half were granted settled status, some 2 million migrants who haven鈥檛 lived in the U.K. long enough were told they have to put in the paperwork again when they have completed five years of residency in the country.

And about 400,000 people are still in limbo because they鈥檙e waiting to hear a decision, said Lara Parizotto, a campaigner for The3million, a group set up after the Brexit referendum to lobby for the rights of EU citizens in the U.K.

鈥淭hese are the people we鈥檙e hearing from a lot,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou want to be secure and safe, you want to continue making plans for your future 鈥� you can imagine how complex it is not to have that certainty in your life right now when things are about to change so much.鈥�

Daria Riabchikova, a Russian woman who applied in February as the partner of a Belgian citizen living in the U.K., said it鈥檚 been 鈥渋ncredibly frustrating鈥� waiting four months for her paperwork to be processed. She fears the delay will affect a new job she is about to start.

鈥淚 feel like a third-rate citizen, despite working here and paying taxes with my partner and living here, and contributing to the past year of struggle with the pandemic,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow I can鈥檛 even have my straightforward application processed on time.鈥�

Figures are not available to show exactly how many people will have missed the deadline. But even a small percentage of the European population in the U.K. would total tens of thousands of people, Ms. Parizotto said. In recent weeks, the Brazilian-Italian has travelled with other volunteers across England to urge European communities working in rural farms and warehouses to sign up before it鈥檚 too late.

One key concern is that the immigration policy could leave a disastrous legacy similar to Britain鈥檚 鈥淲indrush鈥� scandal, when many from the Caribbean who legally settled in the U.K. decades ago were wrongly caught up in tough new government rules to crack down on illegal immigration.

Many in the 鈥淲indrush generation鈥澛犫�� named after the ship that carried the first post-war migrants from the West Indies聽鈥� lost their homes and jobs or were even deported simply because they couldn鈥檛 produce paperwork proving their residency rights.

Many Europeans, especially young people whose parents failed to apply, 鈥渨on鈥檛 necessarily realize they have lost their status right away,鈥� said Madeleine Sumption, director of Oxford University鈥檚 Migration Observatory.

鈥淔or some, it will only become clear later on聽鈥� for example, when they get a new job or need to be treated in hospital,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t may be many more years before the legal, political, economic, and social consequences start to emerge.鈥�

Britain鈥檚 government has conceded that it will give the benefit of the doubt to people who have 鈥渞easonable grounds鈥� for applying late, but that hasn鈥檛 eased campaigners鈥� worries. Many, including those who secured settled status, no longer feel confident in their future in Britain.

Elena Remigi, a translator originally from Milan who founded 鈥淚n Limbo,鈥� a project to record the voices of EU nationals in the U.K. since the Brexit referendum, said many Europeans say they still feel betrayed by how their adopted country treated them.

鈥淚t is really sad that people who were living here before are now made to feel unwelcome and have to leave,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 really hard for some people to forgive.鈥�

Haselton, the Dutch migrant, said her British husband is mulling moving the family to the Netherlands as a direct consequence of Brexit. She is torn.

鈥淚 still love this country, it would break my heart if I had to move,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t the same time I鈥檓 not sure I want to stay. When it comes to a sense of feeling that you belong, that isn鈥檛 something that you can do with a piece of paper.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press.聽