To think asking EU nationals to pay £65 pounds is disgusting

[Ninmpy]

They moved here without these rules and all the money will go on is just continuing as they are.

It's just asking for money to be them! Not on at all!

This is the email my husband received today:

Dear ……..
As Home Secretary, I take immense pride that so many EU citizens like you have made your home here.
Safeguarding the rights of EU citizens in the UK has always been our first priority and the agreement we reached with the EU earlier this year did just that. The rights that you and your family currently have are protected which include access to healthcare, benefits and pensions.
Away from the negotiations, my team in the Home Office have been working hard to develop the service that you’ll use to get your settled status. This work will continue as we make sure that the system and processes are rigorously tested and meet every requirement ahead of the launch.
Today I am able to announce in more detail what this system will look like.
Most importantly, the application process is designed to be simple. Most people will only need to complete three sections to prove their identity, show that they live here and declare that they have no serious criminal convictions. We will also check employment and benefits records we already hold in government which for many people will mean that their proof of living here is automatic. We hope therefore most people will not need to do anything beyond typing in personal details.
What’s more, settled status will cost less than the fee for a British passport - £65 and £32.50 for children under 16. For those who already have valid permanent residence or indefinite leave to remain documentation, they will be able to exchange it for free.
There will be support for the vulnerable and those without access to a computer, and we’re working with EU citizens’ representatives and embassies to ensure the system works for everyone.
I should stress that you do not need to do anything just yet. The scheme will open later this year and we are on track to open the scheme fully by 30 March 2019. The deadline for applications to the scheme will be 30 June 2021 so there will be plenty of time for you to apply and there are absolutely no quotas for applications.
In the meantime, please do share this message with your friends and family so that they too can stay up to date through our mailing list.
I hope you will agree with me that this is an important step towards the commitment we made to you and your families so that you can continue your lives here.

Yours sincerely,

Sajid Javid
Home Secretary

If my husband as a Dutch national gets to stay here after BREXIT then £65 is a small price to pay.

@velourvoyageur
There is a big diversity in EU nationals in the UK. There are those as you describe. And then there are those who work in the black economy, don't speak English and - integration wise - actively participate in the events of the EDL (they started printing their leaflets in Polish as well, acknowledging the growing pool of supporters). A Bulgarian guy who was fixing my shower last month was proud to be a "white Christian crusader" and complained about the UK being taken over by Jews and Muslims. He did not speak a word of English.

Can you point me to the part that mentions anything about voting/electoral registration? I've looked through and cannot see anything.

Agree with Sodding that fees for non-EU immigrants are shocking, but just because someone won't fight every battle going doesn't mean that they think those they're not fighting aren't noteworthy. Just reflects limits in energy due to having other commitments with more personal resonance etc, doesn't indicate a logic fail which devalues the cause they are choosing to challenge (e.g. this £65 fee). In any case there is no direct parallel here: no one has told non-EU citizens that they are welcome to make their lives here, for free, and then told them oops no, there's too many of you, bugger off now or cough up.

@ConstanceVigilance I have to confess I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to the rules on immigration, it just pains me to see people made to feel “less” somehow because they’re not British. I can’t work out whether I’m spitting mad or just devastated that are now viewed, worldwide, as an intolerant little island full of racists.

That may not be the case, but it’s the perception of us because of the loud shouty voices of the EDL/UKIP and their ilk. And it makes me want to throw up. They don’t speak for me, or anyone I know.

@craxmum you are absolutely right. There are so many like this! Do you know who has the biggest problems with foreigners? Foreigners!🙄 (obvs not all of us are like that)

@craxmum
Yes, the poor and immigrants are always asked to be exemplary in exchange for the same respect granted to individuals who are equally flawed but belong to favoured social groups.
I'm not saying EU citizens are all paragons of community spirit. But we don't chuck people who have a home here out because we don't like their views, that's a slippery slope.

@soulrider exactly. It doesn't mention it. It has been discussed before and not mentioning it looks to all of us like we will really be without that right.

@nervousnail

“Why are EU nationals so special? Because of their race?”

What a bizarre statement. “EU” isn’t a race. What on Earth are you going on about?

@Snape
To me that letter looks like one of the best thought out pieces from the UK Gov so far. In the grand scheme of things £65 is a relatively small drop in the ocean although for this to be administered free would obviously be better. Saying that, Brexit is already costing households far more than this and will only get more expensive.

@OftenHangry
Absolutely not my point.
I am a foreigner myself, as you noted. However, I don't think that it does anyone any good to pretend that all immigrants are angels walking this sinful earth, or vice versa, devils coming here just to scrounge benefits and whatever. It is so easy to find counterexamples to any extreme.
I've been to Western Ukraine on a holiday a couple of weeks ago. Romanian passports, for example, are quite a big hit there - an equivalent of $1.5K in fees to the local agent buys you a Romanian grandpa (via an entry in the local parish record) and a legal passport through ancestry route. Ads in every newspaper.

Let me guess you had no idea that being in the EU meant free movement of goods, services, capital and labour to all member countries?

And we'll be out of the EU, or had you missed that newsflash??

In which case, £65 is considerably cheaper than the alternative.

Does anyone know what will happen to Irish citizen in UK and vice versa?

Currently there is an agreement that citizens of one country can live and vote in the other but they joined the EEC at the same time. Very confusing :(

Can I ask (no judgement, genuinely curious) why did Leave voters on this thread vote to Leave?

I’m not asking you to justify your choice, just your reasons for voting if that makes sense.

Complainers gonna complain.....

No good reason needed....

I will have to pay these £65 and I can't get worked up about it.
I'm worried that this is not the end of the story and we migrants (both EU nationals here and UK nationals in the EU) will be used as leverage in further Brexit negotiations but if this is the final outcome I'll pay £65 and think that it could have been worse (depending on efficiency of the process and paperwork involved).

The fact is that we're leaving the EU and so there had to be a way of ensuring rights of EU nationals already here. £65 is hardly extortionate, and it will be free for anyone who already holds PR. Plus the conditions to qualify are more relaxed than for PR (only need to prove residency rather than activity) and so gives more certainty to people like SAHPs who wouldn't have previously qualified.

In terms of voting rights I'd be surprised if that was the case given that the Withdrawal Agreement contains protection from discrimination ie a continuation of the requirement to not treat currently resident EU nationals differently from UK nationals

I can't get bothered about £65, if this is all it will take to feel safe here in my home again.

We've been looking at process we'd have to go through to get me a spousal visa, in case things with Brexit go pear-shaped, and that's a process that costs thousands. I imagine it's made the lives of thousands of non-EU people married to British people a real hell.

You may be surprised to know that lots of leavers are immigrants themselves, upset with the unfairness between EU and non-EU.

Yeah, I know some immigrants who voted leave. They wanted looser regulations for their families to come here.
Why would that surprise me? I don't get it.

I imagine they will be the ones very upset today.
What? people from the Commonwealth or America etc. will be very upset today? Really? Why?

But no, lets only care about the white immigrants,
I genuinely don't understand what you are talking about (again). The EU was about free movement of peoples within the EU. THAT was the deal. It's not about black or white immigration. (BTW And you know that there are black Europeans, surely?)

and call the ones who care for ALL immigrants racist and thick
That's just funny. You are now trying to pretend that a. There are great swathes of Leavers who care for ALL immigrants and b. that those caring Leavers are unfairly being called racist and thick?

Where do you get this shit from, Garden Geek?

Is it from the same nonsense school as your idea that unregulated trade with countries the other side of the world will be much greener than regulated trade with our closest neighbours?!

If Mr javid's announcement yesterday comes into fruition (more importantly, gets the software right) it will be possible for an EU national to use an app on an Android phone to complete the whole process from home. Photo your existing passport/ID, take a selfie then pay the money and that will largely be it. All the elements of this are working in other situations so is not in itself a 'technical' problem.
It won't work on Apple products for some reason and Mr Javid had discussions with Apple to try and resolve this. It could be either technical or more likely political as Apple is US based with different laws on security.
At least he is trying.

@Wakemeuuuup - Irish citizens are absolutely fine. It's under totally separate legislation (from the 1920s I believe), but it has been specifically confirmed that nothing changes:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/citizens-rights-uk-and-irish-nationals-in-the-common-travel-area/citizens-rights-uk-and-irish-nationals-in-the-common-travel-area

Seems fine to me.

"I'm going to vote Leave to screw this country and what's more I'm going to blame the remainers for making me do it and then I'm going to get totally annoyed if anyone calls me stupid!"

Hilarious.