Prime Minister Theresa May offers EU citizens settled status after Brexit
As the BBC notes, the date from which the period of residence in Britain will be counted has yet to be agreed. EU citizens whose length of residence in Britain is insufficient to obtain 'settled status' will have two years to 'regularize their status'.
EU citizens living in Britain should have the right to remain in the country after Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday, June 26, speaking in the House of Commons. The head of government for the first time outlined her plans to provide guarantees to EU citizens, which she believes should 'allay concerns' among the 3.2 million EU citizens living in Britain. However, any commitments on the future legal status of citizens must be reciprocal and guarantee the rights of 1.2 million British expatriates living on the continent, May added.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn criticized the government's plans, saying they are ungenerous, offering EU citizens 'too little, too late'. According to Corbyn, Britain should have unilaterally guaranteed the safety of EU citizens immediately after last year's Brexit vote.
Key points of the British government's proposals:
• Those granted 'settled status' will be able to live, work, study, and claim benefits as they do now;
• The cut-off date for calculating the period of residence is proposed to be set between March 29, 2017, and March 29, 2019;
• EU citizens who have lived in Britain for less than five years as of the cut-off date will be entitled to live and work in the country until the end of the so-called grace period – expected to be two years;
• After this period, they can apply for temporary residence in Britain;
• After five years of continuous residence in Britain, they can apply for 'settled status';
• Family members of EU citizens legally residing in Britain who are abroad can enter the country and apply for 'settled status';
• British authorities reserve the right to refuse 'settled status' to individuals who have committed serious crimes or pose a threat to national security.