15 Dec EU nationals and British expats left in limbo
What is to become of those who wish to stay or leave the UK, as status is called into question with more Brexit talks
By Barbara Onwumere
New information on Brexit following a meeting with Theresa may has caused many EU Nationals to question where they stand in the Brexit uproar. For more than a year EU nationals and British nationals who are resident in EU countries have been left in limbo, which some people have likened to Theresa May using a stalling technique one that will affect millions of lives as many of the major concerns for the Brexit negotiations. It has been announced that a few issues have been deferred to the next stage of the talks. This could come as one of the greatest tragedies that the UK will face and has left people unsatisfied and still full of questions for Mays government.
It is felt that EU nationals especially are being used as bargaining chips without the government really considering that peoples future in the UK are being questioned with compromises having to be made. But the reality of the situation is that the implications of this are going to be devastating regardless.
EU nationals may be the most worried throughout this process but it has emerged that so are British expats because it has not been made what will happen their status in the near future. As far as people are aware, they’re expecting it to impact them negatively whilst others are trying to prepare for the worst. People believe that the government have now been putting politics before the people and are showing their outrage and disdain for the situation.
A joint document has confirmed that both EU citizens and UK nationals can continue to live, work or study as they currently do under the same conditions as under union law. What does this mean for EU citizens living in the UK, this document states that EU and UK citizens have free movement of rights until the day the UK withdraws from the EU on the 29th March 2019. This will be the cut-off date for EU citizens moving to the UK. For anyone who arrives before Brexit day will have the right to stay. As well as those who yet to be granted permanent residency in the UK, the government have confirmed that their rights will be protected and so they can still acquire it after withdrawal.
The latest offer includes the reunification rights for relatives who do not live in the UK, to join them in the future. These rights will extend to future spouses or partners of EU citizens, EU citizens in the UK will still have equal access to social security, health care, education and employment but they and UK citizens in the EU would lose their rights to residency if they are out of the country for five or more years. The basic problem with this is that the report is not a withdrawal agreement. So even though there may be some positive points for example access to healthcare, this may all be ultimately meaningless because the details now provided can still be adjusted as the negotiations continue. Until then Brexit will almost always be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/08/eu-citizens-rights-brexit-bargaining-chips
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42279408
