Brexit: new permanent permit for EU citizens are becoming hard
Some 28% of EU citizens who have applied for permanent residency in the U.K. since Brexit had their applications rejected or declared invalid, the Guardian reported Monday.
In the last half of 2016, more than 12,800 EU citizens had their permanent residency requests rejected and a further 5,500 were declared invalid, analysis by the Liberal Democrats found. However, the Home Office said “applications can be rejected for a whole range of administrative reasons including where an application form has not being signed or failure to pay a fee.”
EU citizens who have lived continuously in the UK for at least five years automatically have a permanent right to live in Britain. People from countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) – EU states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – plus Swiss nationals can apply for a document which confirms their right of permanent residence in the UK. Non-European family members of EEA citizens can apply for a permanent residence card.
The day that Theresa May triggers article 50 next month is reported to be the most likely cut-off date for when EU citizens will no longer have the automatic right to stay in the UK, with the prime minister prepared to guarantee that those here before that date will be protected as long as UK citizens in Europe have reciprocal rights.
Government sources said nothing had been finalised with regards to EU citizens’ rights post-Brexit or any cut-off date, but did not deny the mooted date of the triggering of article 50 was a possibility.
The home secretary, Amber Rudd, repeated the pledge that the government “will be ending freedom of movement as we know it” but said she would not expect immigration to fall dramatically immediately after the UK leaves the EU, echoing comments by the Brexit secretary, David Davis.
“We are going to work with businesses, with employers to make sure that the immigration system we put in place does enable them to continue to thrive and continue to grow,” Rudd said on “Peston on Sunday” on ITV television. “We are against cliff edges, so as part of the consultation we will be bringing out in the summer, we will be asking them the best way to deliver that.”
The EU has been pushing for European citizens to move freely in the U.K. until the end of Brexit negotiations rather than the beginning, but it would appear that the government is worried that the next two years could see an influx of migrants if there is to be a two year time scale and therefore tightening up now could be a very attractive option for Britain.
One possibility being floated is that EU nationals will be allowed to enter the UK after Article 50 is triggered but they would be issued medium term work permits and would not be allowed the automatic right to claim benefits of any sort.