May writes
directly
to EU citizens

23 October 2017

Ahead of her meeting in Brussels, Prime Minister, Theresa May released an open letter to citizens of the European Union.

The statement reads that “citizens’ rights are [her] first priority” saying there was no intention of using them “as bargaining chips” throughout the Brexit negotiations and she promises an easy route to settlement.

The announcement states very clearly that “EU citizens who have made their lives in the UK have made a huge contribution to our country.” She goes onto say that “I couldn’t be clearer: EU citizens living lawfully in the UK today will be able to stay.”

She shares that she knows that “fellow leaders have the same objective: to safeguard the rights of EU nationals living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU.” The letter comes as reassurance that the issue is a top priority throughout the negotiations and that the leaders are united on the key principles.

Looking forward
May has announced that the Government is developing “a streamlined digital process for those applying for settled status in the UK in the future. This process will be designed with users in mind, and we will engage with them every step of the way.”

The statement reads that the cost of the process will be “as low as possible – no more than the cost of a UK passport. The criteria applied will be simple, transparent and strictly in accordance with the Withdrawal Agreement. People applying will not have to account for every trip they have taken in and out of the UK and will no longer have to demonstrate Comprehensive Sickness Insurance as they currently have to under EU rules. And importantly, for any EU citizen who holds Permanent Residence under the old scheme, there will be a simple process put in place to swap their current status for UK settled status.”

May is confident an agreement on the rights of EU citizens will be reached in the coming weeks.

Click here to read the full statement.

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