The rights of European Union citizens currently living in Britain and British citizens currently living in the European Union are still up in the air.
The “the3million” and “British in Europe” groups warned on November 15 that crucial aspects of citizens’ rights after Brexit had not been secured.
Nicholas Hatton, chairman of the3million group that speaks for EU citizens living in the United Kingdom, said he felt “betrayed by the Brexit negotiators”.
As reported by the Reuters news agency, EU citizens currently living in Britain may have to apply and pay to have their residency confirmed, and risk losing the status if they live somewhere else for more than five years.
For Britons living in the EU, the draft deal on Britain’s withdrawal from the EU released on November 14 envisages the right to claim lifetime residence in the particular EU state in which they now live, but with no freedom to then move to another EU state, as they can now.
“It is unacceptable and upsetting that free movement – a lifeline for many of us – has been excluded when both sides knew it was critical for us,” Jane Golding, co-chair of British in Europe, said in a statement.
