What will Brexit mean for EU migrants to the UK and British expats?

What will Brexit mean for EU migrants to the UK and British ex-pats?

It is better to be ready to run away, just in case if the situation comes very bad!

There are around 1.2 million British citizens living in another EU country while there are some 3.3 million non-British EU citizens living in the UK, under minimal restrictions thanks to the European Union’s free movement principles- UN source.

UK citizens living in the EU
Of the 1.2 million Britons living abroad, the largest communities are in Spain, Ireland, France, and Germany. Many are retired and live on savings and UK pensions.

Non-British EU citizens living in the UK

While ex-pat Britons may favour starting new lives in the south and west of Europe, UK-bound EU citizens tend to come in greater numbers from central and eastern Europe.

Existing residents’ rights unaffected?
Politically, even in the event of severely damaged relations between the UK and the EU, both sides may see an interest in moving to shore up the status and rights of existing residents. Certainly, nobody seems to be envisaging mass deportations. Even the most vociferous “Leave” campaigner, the UKIP leader Nigel Farage, has said that EU migrants who have come to the UK legally will have the right to remain. The “Vote Leave” campaign says EU workers already in the UK would have their “rights unaffected”.

However, as far as the legal position of residents is concerned, there is less certainty. International agreements such as the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties have been cited as granting protection for citizens’ acquired rights. But although pro-Brexit campaigners have argued that its application is clear, its relevance in Britain’s case has been called into question. The convention has been said to refer to the rights of states rather than individuals.


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