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Comment by nothrabannosir | Hacker News Reader

I'm an EU citizen living in the UK, and I held my breath reading this headline. I was relieved to read alecco's comment (and the actual article). I think that's what he means: the headline sounds like she's going to kick EU citizens out. After all, the headline, as it stands, applies to me. Her actual words, very explicitly, do not. That is misleading.

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That's entirely fair - but, I don't think it's The Independents fault that EU citizens in the UK are in for a terrifying ride watching these laws get negotiated.

She is ending EU citizens right to live and work in UK, with provisions to protect those already in the country.

Another somewhat important distinction to note is that ending the right to live here doesn't imply eliminating the possibility to do so. Although they now seem to be ruling out a points-based system, I'm assuming that once you tick certain boxes in some shape or form (and one can reasonably assume people on this board will do so), it will be more or less frictionless to move to and fro.

Whether discriminating against lesser-skilled immigration from poorer countries is a moral thing to do is, of course, a separate subject for discussion.

Also EU citizen living here for 2 years (so not entitled to the permanent residency). I own a UK company and pay my share of taxes. Still I'm scared I'm going to be asked to leave at some point.

Also, if I go visit my family on the continent, am I going to be able to come back ?

Work Permit in UK is quite open for non-EU workers. Stop freaking out. Unless you are a waiter or dish washer.

Are you sure about that? Do you know what the requirements are?

Yes, first hand. They have everything on the government websites. As long as you have a sponsor and not working on something trivial you are safe.

Most likely, the system of permanent residence status will remain in place for the next 5 years plus some buffer: https://www.gov.uk/eea-registration-certificate/permanent-re...

I agree that, if I were you, I'd be nervous about any trip abroad within the next 3 years.

The UK Prime Minister has said that she actually wants EU citizens to remain in the UK post-Brexit, but it is dependent on similar rights being granted to UK citizens in EU countries. It's not a decision wholly up to the UK.

> ... applies to me. Her actual words, very explicitly, do not.

I think you skipped this part:

> providing the same was true for UK citizens living in the EU.

That means your future in the UK is as safe as some bargain chips can be.

I understand where you're coming from, but "the end of respectable journalism"? This is a slight misunderstanding of an accurate but not completely precise headline.

If she were going to kick EU citizens out, the headline would be "May to announce mass deportations" or something.

Well, except if you happen to take a flight out and come back after 15th of March. Because then presumably you'll be 'arriving after the cut-off date'.

And secondly, do you really believe the uk government capable of distinguishing between people who have arrived before or after a date? They don't have a record of travel for everyone in the country. Are you going to be keeping bills in your name from before 15th of march to prove your residence history, the same as for a bank account proof of address?

I've been in the UK for close to 10 years now and I definitely feel like this applies to me. I'm considering either getting a green card and moving towards citizenship, or just moving out of the country. These decisions are frankly insulting.

> They don't have a record of travel for everyone in the country.

All passports leaving the UK by official ports have been scanned by the UK Border Force for several years; at least five, from memory, and probably prior to their inception too.

They won't have a record if you departed in the dead of night from a small harbour using a yacht, but otherwise the database is fairly comprehensive. Even departures to outide the UK from my local flying-club airfield have UKBF in attendance ( I presume they charge for the 'service' ).

I do believe that all this information is recorded somewhere. I very much doubt those records are in an accessible and queryable form that would allow the government to tell how long someone was a legal resident in the uk, and even more doubtful is them actually trying.

More likely everyone will have to prove their right to residence, and the border database will not be available to us.

If you're 'resident' during the time you're absent the country, there's no way this cut-off will apply to you. While they haven't formulated it yet, it's pretty clear this applies to people who try to become residents after the cut-off date, not people who happen to land in the country afterwards.

Politics may be a bit screwy right now, but it's not insane, at least not yet in the UK, as much as people like to hyperbolise.

If you're currently living here, going abroad for a few weeks will be vanishingly unlikely to suddenly define you as no longer live here.

"Politics may be a bit screwy right now, but it's not insane,"

Oh yes it is. We have a nasty, dishonest and utterly incompetent government with free reign to do irreparable damage to this country, no thanks to our non-functioning and useless opposition party.

Meanwhile, our national press, who have never been anything other than dishonest and self-serving are in full frothing-at-the-mouth hysteria mode when it comes to Brexit.

I can't recall in recent memory a time in the UK when politics has been so dysfunctional and depressing as now.

Same here. We just bought a house last year, these headlines are making my heart skip a beat :) Will I be kicked out but still need to pay the mortgage? Nonesense these false news portals these days are.

However, I believe putting a control on immigration is the right thing to do.

So you're a EU citizen living in Britain, and now that you're in, you want the borders to be closed?

Immigration is great when I'm doing it.

But there was immigration without control for so long, with it's negative (and many positive) drawbacks. There should be a limit on that. Also, in big cities there are irreversible cultural changes which I consider harmful. Huge mosques, no-go zones, etc. I don't want my children to grow up in something like that.

Therefore, my presence is only temporary.

How hypocritical

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