What will happen to British teachers working in the EU in the increasingly likely event of a “no deal” scenario? The advice below was valid as of 22 January 2019.
Czech Republic: UK nationals will have 21 months from March 29 to apply for a residence permit. Only UK nationals who have an EU temporary residence certificate will be able to live and work in the Czech Republic after 31 December 2020.
France: UK nationals will need to register and apply for a Carte de Sejour via their local prefecture office. See our report on page 6 on draft legislation to protect UK nationals teaching in the public sector.
Germany: The immigration ministry requests all UK nationals living in Germany to fill in an online form confirming that they are on the population register, with a view to securing their legal status in the event of a disorderly Brexit. UK nationals have until 30 June 2019 to register.
Ireland: The Common Travel Area agreement between the UK and the Republic predates the EU, and it will continue to operate. UK nationals and Irish nationals can live and work in both countries.
Spain: As of late December 2018, the Spanish government was reportedly seeking to reach a deal to guarantee rights to residency, healthcare and the recognition of academic qualifications for the estimated 300,000 UK nationals in Spain, and reciprocal rights for the 116,000 Spanish nationals in the UK.
Portugal: Foreign minister Augusto Santos Silva announced By Matt Salusbury plans to allow UK nationals to continue living and working in Portugal with continued access to public health systems, social security rights, and recognition of qualifications. UK nationals must register by 29 March 2019 to qualify. The offer appears to be conditional on the UK offering reciprocal rights to 300,000 Portuguese currently in the UK.
Poland: A draft Bill has been announced to give UK nationals a residency permit for five years (three years if they have been resident in Poland for less than five years) as an emergency interim measure in the event of a no deal. A special residency card for these residents will include the word “Brexit”.
EU citizens in the UK: Prime Minister Theresa May has pledged that the EU Settled Status for which EU nationals (except the Irish) will have to apply will be valid regardless of whether or not there is a deal. As we go to press, fees for registering have been waived. Settled Status applications open on 30 March 2019, and EU nationals have until June 2021 to register.
