Addressing the home affairs committee, UK's Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, announced this Tuesday that the circa three million European citizens living in Britain shall start their registration process by the end of next year. To get the process underway, the Home office's "default position" allows the acceptance of applications.
Told to MPs, Rudd said that an agreement has yet to be settled between the Home Office and Treasury, on how much extra funds will be added to the already (£50 million made available for the registration system.
Yet to be determined as well, are the rather pertinent aspects of defining the rights, in detail, to family reunions of EU nationals in the UK, which are to be still negotiated.
Included, for example, are the minimum income thresholds when bringing non-EU spouses into Britain.
Brexit: 1,200 extra staff for the ordeal
In order to make it as smooth as possible, this registration will require the recruiting of an extra 1,200 staff members. While reassuring sceptic MPs that it shall not carry the same burden as seen on the existing permanent residence application, (which surpasses 80 pages), instead. Rudd spoke of an "easy access", through online registration.
Further on and with the eventuality of a "no Brexit" on the table, a member of the Commons home affairs urged Phillip Rutman, the Home Office's permanent secretary, to comment on border patrol. Although stating that it would be the last option, Rutman also said that he is unable to rule anything out.
UK Brexit plan to deter EU immigrants
With the publishing of a leaked draft, (by the Guardian), which allegedly hinders low-skilled EU migrants to be granted temporary residence permits after Brexit, Amber Rudd confirmed now that a white paper on immigration will see light, before the end of this year.
All the while, activists campaigning for the3million group are opposed to any involvement of the Home Office in the registration process.
Following their outlined letter, addressed last August to the European Commission, the response was that of support, as both the European Commission and the European parliament insist on their European court of justice to prevail in the UK, even after Brexit.
With oversight over the rights of EU citizens, (whose settlements in the UK preceded the country's divorce), the European Commission now waits for a law to be passed which will assure to the principle of citizen's rights in the UK.
