Once the UK leaves the EU, EU citizens will no longer have the automatic right to reside and work in the UK unless they have already obtained permanent residency. The ‘Leave’ campaign have however indicated they are keen to preserve the rights of EU citizens already living and working in the UK. Negotiations will take place over the next couple of years and therefore it will be some time before the final outcome is known. Whilst there is no immediate impact, there remains an element of uncertainty with regard to the long term situation. Any anxious EU citizens working in the UK, in the meantime, could consider applying for British citizenship, if eligible, to protect their position.
If you’re an employer with a number of EU citizens in your employment or the few EU citizen employees you have are particularly key to your business, you may wish to encourage them to apply for British Citizenship. You could consider offering the following support:
The most common way to become a British citizen is called ‘naturalisation’. You can apply for British citizenship by naturalisation if:
And you must usually have:
If your spouse or civil partner is a British Citizen, you can apply for citizenship if:
Unless your spouse or civil partner works abroad either for the UK government or for an organisation closely linked to government, you must usually also have:
Further information on applying for British Citizenship can be found at https://www.gov.uk/becoming-a-british-citizen/check-if-you-can-apply.
- See more at: https://mbmcommercial.co.uk/blogs/employment-blog/as-an-eu-citizen-working-in-the-uk,-should-i-be-trying-to-get-a-uk-passport/#sthash.4MDyRMcG.dpuf