EU citizens in the UK have tried to arrange en masse their residence status just before a deadline. Just on one day some 50,000 applications came in, about five times more than it was usual in the previous period.

The influx was so great that the British Home Office decided to extend the deadline. It was supposed to expire at midnight, but applications that arrived Thursday morning before 9.00 would also have been accepted.

The UK left the European Union last year and gave EU citizens who wanted to stay until 30 June to arrange their residence status. They also retain the right to look for work, rent accommodation and study. A total of at least 5.6 million applications were received.

The roll-out of the new system does not seem to be going smoothly. EU citizens complain on social media that they have not heard from the government after their registration. Also, some companies are not yet familiar with the new residence status for Europeans.