The UK’s vote on EU membership on June 23rd has thrown problems into the lives of millions of people. While the reality of a Leave vote is still sinking in, there is likely to be enormous change in the coming years.
Much of the debate came down to the immigration numbers into the UK – mainly from the European Union – but as with most topics, there is a significant amount of detail that was not touched upon, but will impact millions.
Firstly, it is estimated that there are some 4.9 million British citizens living outside the UK but within the EU. There is a very real chance that in time many will need to return to the UK. It may be because they lose their rights to reside elsewhere, or because the pound continues it’s slide in relative value and they can no longer afford to stay where they are.
On the other side, there are estimated to be more than 3 million EU citizens living in the UK. Many of these may potentially need to return – though not necessarily to their own country, since their EU passports provide the right to live in any of the other member states. Both sides of the referendum debate wanted these people to be able to stay in the UK, but what the future holds may be very different.
The result will be that for several million people, the legal framework under which they and their families live their entire lives may – or may not – be subject to change in the coming few years.
This aspect alone will put a massive strain on civil service resources across Europe. Citizenship applications are generally a slow moving and bureaucratic process, but that system will need a complete overhaul if it is to survive Brexit in any functional form.
Europe has a history of movement and change, partly through war and partly through migration. This means that many Europeans can trace their family roots back to one or more other countries, within just a few generations.
The result is likely to be several million people trying to understand their rights and situation regarding their residency, citizenship and domicile status. It will also likely mean many of these people will begin the process to take up a new passport either by means of naturalization or some of the citizenship by investment countries. Those that are currently unable in a situation to alter their circumstances with new documents will face a very uncertain future.