Brexit was finally delivered on December 31 and EU citizens have until the end of June to gain British residency. The Home Office has now received 4.9 million applications under the EU settlement scheme and granted status to 4.3 million applicants.
The number of applications received is higher than the population of seven of the 27 EU member states, and just short of the number of the people living in Ireland.
According to the latest figures from the Eurostat agency, Croatia has a population of around four million people.
Lithuania has 2.7m people and both Slovenia and Latvia has an estimated two million residents.
Other EU member states with a population less than five million, include Estonia, Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta.
Speaking at a parliamentary committee on Monday, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove welcomed the number of people wanting to remain living in the UK.
He said: “There are more EU citizens in the UK than in some member states – which is great.
“It is a great advertisement for this country.
“People have chosen to stay in unprecedented numbers.”
Minister for Future Borders and Immigration, Kevin Foster, said it is an “extraordinary achievement” that 4.3million people have been accepted to remain in the UK.
He also urged all those eligible to come forward to sign up to the scheme before the June 30 cut-off date.
Mr Foster said: “It’s an extraordinary achievement to have made more than 4.3 million grants of status to EU citizens and their family members who want to make their lives in the UK.
“I would urge people who are eligible to join those who have secured their status.”
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In order to qualify for a UK visa and live in the UK, oversees applicants will need at least 70 points.
This can be achieved in a number of ways, including by having a high skilled, highly paid job and the ability to speak English.
An applicant will achieve 40 points if they have a skilled job offer from an approved employer.
A further 20 points can be achieved if the salary of the job is above £25,600 per year.
Meanwhile, an additional 10 points will be issued if the applicant is able to speak English.
