to ask EU citizens living in the UK (who do not have a British passport) how they feel about the UK post Brexit and whether they plan to stay in the UK if allowed?

[evilcherub]

Speaking to friends who do not have British passports a few have told me they feel uncomfortable here now, like they are seen as "other".

So, if the Government announces with certainty that EU citizens who have been living here and fulfilled the requirements to stay here will be allowed to stay, will you want to stay?

Do you feel differently about the UK since Brexit and do you feel unwelcome in the UK now?

Reading this thread makes me so angry. I HATE that stupidity, ignorance and bigotry seem to be winning. I HATE that my country, a country I proudly thought was one of the most tolerant and open-minded in the world, has shown itself to be so shamefully far from that. To all of you who wanted to make the UK your home and now feel as though you can't, please remember that 16 million of us want you to be here. And we aren't going to give up, we can't let this be the end of decent Britain.

I am a Brit living abroad. My eu national DH is a scientist and we were thinking of moving back for his next post doc contract so our dcs could experience living in the UK. Now there will be no money for research for DH and to be honest, I don't want to subject my dcs to being 'different' just because they speak a different language to dh. I feel like xenophobia has become acceptable. Although, it is just as bad here, just not against English speakers.

I am Greek, DH is Greek/German, we used to live in the UK but now live in France. We are Anglophiles, speak English at home and were planning to move back at some point...not anymore. I take Brexit personally, my adopted country telling me I am not welcome while siding with racists. It's a huge political and social mistake that will define generations and cause massive international ripples of hatred, racism and a further rise in populism and nationalism.

BTW I wish I had a penny for every time I've been told '...but of course I don't mean you'.

I'm not a white Brit so I can understand how EU immigrants feel, I hope anyone who lives here and made a life here, doesn't feel they need to return, this is your home and you pay your way to be here like anyone else.

Many of my EU friends have said that they feel saddened by the result and feel less welcome here - although they recognise that our city (not London) did not vote for this. (Isn't it funny that so many of the 'over-crowded' cities with higher immigration didn't vote for this? - And no we're not all rich southern toffs) Most of them have said that they aren't going to make any rash decisions in the immediate aftermath but are going to wait 6 months/a year and see how things are going - Many of them have lived here many, many years and make a positive contribution - not just working and paying taxes but they are our friends, part of our community, volunteer to help run local groups/clubs etc. As a Brit, this referendum has changed how I feel about this country in ways that I find difficult to put into words- I feel angry, disconnected - as well as just plain embarrassed to be associated with the UK.

@Doobigetta

To all of you who wanted to make the UK your home and now feel as though you can't, please remember that 16 million of us want you to be here

Awww this is the sweetest thing I've read in a while! Thanks

I think much depends on where we live in UK; strangely enough, communities where the foreigners are present in big numbers (like the South East of England) have experienced less issues in terms of xenophobia.
I live in an area where nearly 70% have voted Leave, basically I risk my neck any time I go to do some food shopping. I don't speak my original language in public either, although it'd be just on the phone because my family doesn't live in UK.

To the poster whose husband doesn't believe in the rise of xenophobic incidents, local police was struggling to take my report because they had their hands full with any kind of mess in that regard. So, no, not just anecdotal evidence; I wish that was the case because, believe me, living in fear is awful.

I'm disgusted that people have been made to feel this way. Farage and his gang are dragging us towards Trumpton.

They do not speak for at least half of us.

At this point it doesn't really make a difference to us. In our borough the Remain vote was really high, so we haven't felt "rejected". Really, nothing has changed since the vote!

We are now waiting to see what will happen, but if we can't easily stay here it won't be an issue for us to move back to our home country.

We initially moved here because the pay for our field of work was higher, however now that we have children, the lower pay in our home country would be balanced by lower taxes (because of the children), cheaper childcare, etc.

We don't plan on applying for a citizenship. I don't feel British so would feel hypocritical to apply for one.

The UK government doesn't have a clue.

Usually, like the (in)famous Mumsnet "no", that is a complete sentence. (Or an accurate summation of the 20th century).

However, being brutally specific, it is actually a genuine statement about the state of the UK governments knowledge of the number, and status of EU citizens in the UK.

Bluntly, they have no way of knowing when any EU citizen actually came to the UK.

Which means they have absolutely no way of introducing some mythical "pre/post" date for any supposed expulsion of EU nationals. Even if they wanted.

The only way they could enforce such a system is to start collecting details now. Only it's not as simple (or cheap !) as you might think. Plus the slighly galling fact that as long as we are members of the EU, it would be unlawful.

Now the dust has started to settle on Brexit, and the grown-ups have taken over, it's becoming increasingly clear that an awful lot of what was promised is not only undesirable, it's impossible.

Here's an article which digs into some of the issues and numbers. Probably best to apologise in advance for it's constant references to "facts", and verifiable reference sources. I'm sure we'll return to Unicorn farts soon enough.

Bluntly, they have no way of knowing when any EU citizen actually came to the UK.

They do, in many cases. If you use your passport and enter an airport, you get questioned and scanned (never driven or been ferried to and from the UK, so I wouldn't know how it works if not flying in).
This fairy tale should finally die a slow death once they start collecting info.
They also ask you to provide a proof of entry when you apply for PR cards now. I've the port of entrance at Heathrow airport (I still have the flight tickets, because I was on an international flight) and my passport has been scanned all the times I've been out and back in during the last decade. So they do know where I am.

Also... some embassies and consulates have lists of citizens who moved their residency address abroad (mine has), just need the HO working together with these people instead of playing into the 'Government has no clue' narrative.

Of course, if someone is illegal, well... that becomes complicated, given that the British government has not kept track of non-EU illegal immigration anyway.

This fairy tale should finally die a slow death once they start collecting info.

Which they can only do after the UK leaves the EU ...

Also... some embassies and consulates have lists of citizens who moved their residency address abroad

Oh this is priceless ... let's rely on the proven bureaucracy of other EU countries ! Hmmmm, I know at least one embassy which would be unable to comply - ever.

@LurkingHusband

This means that they have a right to live in the UK permanently, in accordance with EU law. There is no requirement to register for documentation to confirm this status.

This is from that article. I can tell you that it's 100% wrong. There's no automatic right to reside for EU citizens. For instance, my case. I've been rejected for PR card. I've consulted a lawyer for immigration purposes and it came out that there was a 'contradiction' in terms of declared status.

It means that one year I was doing a job as self-employed and I should have proved I had private health insurance or my original country covering me. The latter was true as I used it as evidence, but it also implied I had to declare I didn't intend to permanently settle in UK. This went against the fact I've been married to a British citizen for years now (NB: I cannot legally use him as sponsor) and I was definitely settled already!!
There's plenty of legal stuff for EU citizens and once that will be enforced, the 'bloodbath' will be huge.
May is not guaranteeing anything because the political uproar one way or another would be huge. That is why there's only silence at the moment ;-)

let's rely on the proven bureaucracy of other EU countries

that's offensive and a bit prejudiced......
Then, 'your' country officials are showing they're surely no better in terms of corruption and disorganisation, considering that one can consult 10 immigration lawyers and none of them has no clue what to do. The Home Office regulations are also confusing and contradicting themselves constantly (what about the British citizenship path for EU spouses... you read 3 years of residence but alas if you have no PR card you don't get it. So why 3 years?)

This is all fucking ridiculous. I've not yet applied for my PR card but will do so in the future. The application process sets you to fail.

How about if they don't let me stay, I'd like all my national insurance payments back, please. I've been a tax payer for more than the required 5 years. It's a hefty accumulation.

Doobigetta- Your warm words brought tears to my eyes and for that: I THANK YOU xx

At this point it doesn't really make a difference to us. In our borough the Remain vote was really high, so we haven't felt "rejected". Really, nothing has changed since the vote!

same here. DP is white european and I am non-white american. I feel there is a no difference. we live in central London, so remain is very strong here.

The UK isn't the only place where anti-immigrant sentiment is high. A lot of European countries are having their own problems with this, as is america. But the vote wasn't only about immigration. Anti EU sentiment is high. Before the referendum and shortly after (support has since dropped) the Netherlands was polling likely to "Nexit".

I'm British, as is DH, and DD. Yet even we are contemplating whether we need to leave. And the racism is there - we speak German at home to try and ensure DD becomes fluent in a second language, and we are not blind to the dirty looks we have had. I'm not sure I want to raise DD somewhere that now just seems negative and insular. Moving at present will be hard though. Fortunately we live in a remain area, but visits to other areas have put me right on edge. Sadly, we don't qualify for Irish passports or similar.

I'm also tired of extended family telling me that the fluffy unicorns promised by he Leave campaign will, of course, mean Britain regains its place as a world superpower. And getting cross because the grown ups who are actually in government clearly aren't going to be able to sprinkle fairy dust and make it all alright.

I'm Irish, so my situation differs from other EU nationals in that I will almost certainly continue to enjoy virtually the same rights as a UK citizen under bilateral arrangements predating the EU. Even so, I'm incredibly hurt by the Leave vote, as are all my many friends from other EU countries - my Facebook feed was a sea of fear and anger the morning after! I know so many people who've put down deep roots in the UK and basically feel like they've told to fuck off. And I hated the way we were frozen out of the debate in the run up to the referendum - everyone talked about us but no one to the right of the Guardian bothered to talk to us. I think I feel particularly exposed living in a really-not-very-diverse area as well. It breaks my heart to hear of incidents like a Hungarian family we're friendly with getting glares for speaking Hungarian together in public (they all speak fluent English and their kids are doing very well academically - the parents just want to encourage them to be bilingual). It is so so sad. But then my British husband and quite a few British friends are gutted too. We plan on staying put for the moment, but I'm worried about the future. I just want my DSs to grow up somewhere where the immigrant side of their heritage is something to celebrate not be ashamed off.

I'm white British, so is DH, I'd really like to leave because of Brexit, this country just isn't what I thought it was.

I'd really like to move somewhere in the EU, partly in the hope of getting in somewhere before the door is slammed in our face (by our own hand). If we could get in somewhere hopefully we could take on citizenship and secure EU rights for our children. From my research I think Ireland is our best option because the right to settle there pre-dates EU agreements so I think they'd be the least likely to kick us out post Article 50. It's all very, very sad.