The UK government's policy paper setting out its offer to EU citizens and their families in the UK has been published. The offer is different depending on how long a person has been in the UK.
People who have been continuously living in the UK for five years will be able to apply to stay indefinitely by getting "settled status". A settled status residence document will prove an individual's permission to continue living and working in the UK. Those already with an EU permanent residence document will be required to apply. The application process should come online before the UK leaves the EU, and hopefully in 2018. The government has pledged to make the application process as streamlined and user-friendly as possible.
A "cut-off date" will be relevant for other people. The "cut-off date" will be the date after which EU citizens will no longer automatically be entitled to stay in the UK. The date is still to be negotiated, but may fall at any point between 29 March 2017, the date that Article 50 was triggered, and the date that the UK leaves the EU.
People who arrived in the UK before the cut-off date, but will not have been here for five years when the UK leaves the EU will be able to apply to stay temporarily until they have reached the five year threshold. They can then also apply for settled status as set out above.
People who arrive in the UK after the cut-off date will be able to apply for permission to remain after the UK leaves the EU, under the future immigration arrangements for EU citizens. We do not yet know what the arrangements will be. The government has said that there should be no expectation by this group of people that they will obtain settled status.
Please see our newsletter at the end of the month for more information on this development.
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