RESTAURANT group Carluccio’s is to pay for its 1,550 non-British EU employees to apply for ‘settled-status’ in the UK after Brexit.

Staff working at the branch in Little Clarendon Street in Oxford are among those who will benefit.

Carluccio’s said it was the first large restaurant brand to take the decision, which could influence other major employers.

BMW Mini in Cowley said it was still considering the matter while Oxford University and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have already pledged to pay the £65 fee for employees.

A BMW Group spokesman said: “We are carefully considering the implications that proposed EU Settlement Scheme payments would have for our workforce and for our business. A final decision has not yet been made.”

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

Mark Jones, CEO of Carluccio’s, said “There would be no Carluccio’s without one man making the journey from Europe to London. Today we employ over 2,300 people from over 80 countries. A large number, just like Antonio (Carluccio), 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.”