EU Referendum and its Repercussion for EEA Citizens in United Kingdom

UK Immigration Services

This 23rd June, the United Kingdom will vote to decide if it remains a part of the European Union or not. This is going to be a historical decision and will impact the non-British EU citizens living in the UK. These EU citizens who are living in the UK would obviously be worried on what would happen if the country votes to leave the EU.

Currently, there are over 3 million EU citizens residing in the UK and when the country decides to leave, the immediate impact is difficult to define. While it is safe to say that there will be restriction on free movement of EU migrants, it is highly unlikely that any immediate exit plans would be executed. Exiting will definitely take a long time and the process would have to be carefully planned to take into account entire families, generations of inhabitants, skilled EU immigrant workforce and property owners. Non EEA students, who are applying for citizenship status, as rule, need to have lived for 5 years and most probably the same will apply to the EU migrants.

However, to be on the safer side some of the following actions can be taken by an EU migrant to secure a residency now:

1. Applying for registration certificate as an EU citizen: The application costs £65 and provides you with right to work and live in the UK. It does not necessitate any residence requirements. However, one has to bear in mind that there is no guarantee that registration will impact the EU migrant status if the UK decides to leave. The main purpose of the certificate is to aid EEA citizens to prove their right to live and work in the UK. Obtaining this certificate makes it convenient to prove that you have a right to work in the UK and claim benefits.
   
   
2. Applying for a permanent residence: An EU immigrant who has lived in the UK for a period of five years can apply for permanent residence in the UK. This process costs £65 and involves filling in the application for a document certifying permanent residence or permanent residence or permanent residence card: form EEA (PR). This has to be submitted at Home Office with fee and other supporting documents.
   
   
3. Applying for British Citizenship: This process can be time consuming and expensive. The current application fee for the process is £1,236. Along with this, the other associated fee involves taking life in the UK test to exhibit your language skills in English language. Other specific requirements include a 5 year resident period, limit on the time spent outside the UK. This might be a drastic step which should be taken after much thought.