About the Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA)
The IMA was established in 2020 and became operational as at 11pm in the 31 December 2020.
It is an independent body that makes sure the rights of EU and EEA EFTA citizens and their family members living in the UK and Gibraltar are upheld following the departure of the UK from the EU.
IMA has two broad duties – to monitor and to promote. Among other things, it monitors children’s rights, in particular in respect of Looked After Children and Care Leavers.
The IMA monitors UK public bodies (including Local Authority Children’s Services) to make sure they adequately and effectively implement the rights provided for by the Citizens’ Rights Agreements. It promotes the adequate and effective implementation and application of the Agreements by holding public bodies to account where there is not full compliance.
Public bodies include all parts of government and any body which exercises functions of a public nature. It would therefore include UK Government departments, the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Government of Gibraltar. It also includes local government.
IMA powers are framed by the rights set out in Part 2 of the Withdrawal Agreement and the EEA EFTA Separation Agreement and Swiss Separation Agreement. These rights are extensive and were designed to broadly provide EU and EEA EFTA citizens and their family members the same entitlements to work, study and access public services and benefits as they enjoyed before the UK left the EU.