Published:
The Government has set out further Guidance on the impact of a no-deal Brexit on European Nationals resident or travelling to the UK before and after 31 October.
Full details may be found on the Government website.
Set out below is a brief summary of the guidance.
Irish Citizens
Your rights are unaffected by these new arrangements. You retain the right to travel to the UK, to live and to work as now. You do not have to apply for Settled Status but you may wish to do so.
EU Citizens Resident in UK before 31 October 2019
If you are already resident in the UK there will be no changes to your status. You will need to apply for Settled or Pre-Settled Status by 31 December 2020. The link below will give you further details:
https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
EU Citizens entering the UK after Brexit
For a transitional period after Brexit on 31 October 2019 until 31 December 2020, you and your family members will be able to move to the UK and live, study, work and access benefits and services as they do now.
EU citizens visiting for a short period, or for frequent but short visits (e.g. academic visitors and external examiners), will be able to enter the UK as currently using their passport.
If you and your close family members who move to the UK after Brexit wish to stay beyond 2020, you will need to apply for a UK immigration status granting them permission to stay.
After Brexit, the Home Office will open a new voluntary immigration scheme – the European temporary leave to remain (Euro TLR) Scheme – to provide a route to apply for this immigration status. Applications will involve a simple online process and identity, security and criminality checks.
You do not need to apply for this visa before you enter the UK.
Successful applicants to the Euro TLR scheme will be granted a period of 36 months' leave to remain in the UK, running from the date the leave is granted. This will provide EU citizens who move to the UK after exit and their employers with greater confidence and certainty during the transition period, and ensure that they have a secure legal status in the UK before the new immigration system is introduced from January 2021.
You may choose to use the evidence of this UK leave – in the form of a secure digital status – to establish your entitlement to work and rent property during the transitional period until 31 December 2020. During this period, you will also be able to evidence those rights using their passport or national identity card.
Further details can be found on the Government webpage.
Crossing the Border after Brexit
For the time being, border-crossing arrangements will remain unchanged. You will enter the UK as you do now, using your passport or national identity card. You will be able to use eGates if you are travelling on a biometric passport.
Right to Work Checks
There will be no change to the right to work of EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members living in the UK until 31 December 2020.
If you have applied for employment or casual work after 31 October 2019, we will check your right to work in exactly the same way as we do now. You may choose to demonstrate your right to work using:
- Your passport or national identity card if you are an EU, EEA or Swiss Citizen
- Your biometric residence card if you are a non-EU, EEA or Swiss Citizen Family Member
- Your status under the EU Settlement Scheme or EU Temporary Leave Scheme
Employers may accept any of these options and cannot insist that you provide evidence of your Settlement Status or Temporary Leave Visa.
You can also find more information on the HR SharePoint page.