If you made your life here, why didn't you become a British citizen?

[DorothyL]

How do you respond to that as an EU citizen?

I came to the UK in 98. I never applied for British citizenship because I didn't see the need - I truly felt that the fact we were all EU meant it didn't matter!

Now I'm scared because in spite of being here so long I would probably not qualify for a permanent residency card because I wasn't working (SAHM/carer).

Wish I knew what will happen

I truly felt that the fact we were all EU meant it didn't matter! - op
And my point is that it did matter. Always has. Like I said, Europe is not a state. Any country can leave the EU. You will never be 100% secure in a country that can stop or reverse freedom of movement at any time.

SIL from South America....However, both her and Db have worked legally across the EU for MANY years. One niece was born in Germany, Nephew France. Both children speak fluent French, English, Spanish and German. They decided to finally settle in London to be close to family. My Db spent so much money, we wrote to local MP's, even the PM! The whole thing was a mess. I always assumed 'marriage' gave automatic working/living rights. But apparently not. Lot's of solicitors were involved towards the end, and as far as I am aware she was basically classed as an 'immigrant' and the best deal they could offer her was she could visit the UK for 6mths out of 12. But not live here. The whole thing was a mess. My Dc's miss their cousins :(

I am surprised Sal, I would have thought that marriage would fix those things. Terrible really, for the family.

But that was the whole point of freedom of movement - that your nationality didn't determine where in the EU you could live or work.

Wendy you may get your wish and become a little island, populated by little people, suspicious, full of resentment for "the other", dreaming of past glories, deluded. And we, citizens of the world, will still be teaching our children the liberal values that make life worth living, probably from somewhere else. I feel sorry for mean, little people like you.

I certainly feel that with the wey Britain is going I'm not sure I want to be here. But my children...

"I even had an Irish bird coming over to a full pub table in London and saying"
Are you by any chance taking hallucinogenic substances user?

But countries have always had the right to leave, this is not new. Actually, your opening statement is completely wrong. The possibility for Member States to leave the EU was only introduced in the Lisbon Treaty, which was signed on 13 December 2007. You don't know that much about how the EU works, do you?

Maybe user could use more respectful terms for women in his fantasy stories...

Everybody knows there aren't any birds in Ireland. Something to do with St Patrick..........

why would say it if it didnt happen? Hardly the kind of thing one would wish to make up. That is what certain south London pubs were like back in the 90s. Anti English. And 'bird' is not disrepectful, it amuses me. I am a she not a he.
I whiff a little bullying coming on and think I will leave it there.

I do like Puffins. Puffins are adorable.

Dorothy yes! I feel a duty to my children to stay and fight this. They are proud of their European citizenship, at the same time as being British and loving their city, London. But if people like us start leaving this won't be a place for them in the future, academically and professionally. But that's fine, as they're multilingual and have two passports. Luckier than most!

Have you had advice from an accredited immigration lawyer, OP, or taken up the offer earlier in this thread?

As I'm sure you already know, there are two separate things here - getting indefinite leave to remain in the form of a permanent residence card and applying for British citizenship. I am not aware of anything that would disqualify you from either, simply on the basis of not having been in employment, but am happy to be corrected.

Jessy do you think that would actually happen (even if they had the legal power to do so)? Can you imagine ferry loads of elderly people who moved here in the fifties and sixties being sent back to Greece, Ireland, Italy etc. possibly with no living family left there and no means to get a home. Even our current hideous government wouldn't do this ... would they?

The level of ignorance among Leave voters is not surprising but still shocking....

I'm not a British citizen although I am a British taxpayer, graduate, homeowner and parent to British citizens.

I've had ILR for 10+ years. As long as I don't leave Britain for more than 24 months this cannot be revoked.

I've never needed citizenship, to be frank. It's expensive, I've already paid a lot of money for the immigration status I hold and it's never been worthwhile as I have ILR.

Plus, gasp horror, I don't feel British and have no interest in 'being' British.

Yup, check me out. Happy to live here and contribute, but no interest in being British. Send me from your shores, quick.

This thread is a good indicator of the immigration debate in society as a whole. Wendy has actually made valid points, and she is shot down as racist, bigoted, little Englander etc. If we don't talk about these issues calmly and rationally, then discussion goes 'underground' and resurfaces at the ballot box with UKIP etc. Perhaps a little more compassion could have been shown to the OP, but you see a lack of compassion on almost every single post on this website.. that doesn't mean someone needs to be rounded upon as a racist. If the OP had come on saying 'I'm British, been living in Australia for 18 years but I never applied for citizenship' then I am certain people would have been jumping on her saying 'well why didn't you apply for citizenship, you have no-one to blame but yourself.'

I have incredible sympathy for the OP (goodness, my profession is immigration lawyer so I know what hoops you have to jump through to get visas here - keeps me in business!!). But it is a valid point that none of us could ever be sure how a country's laws are going to change. If you have the chance to secure your position, I would recommend doing so. I have a friend who has had ILR for about 15 years but hasn't gone for citizenship because she doesn't want to pay the fee (which increases year on year). I totally get that she doesn't want to 'waste' cash on such a thing, but that's a personal decision.. for me.. I'm too much of a worrier and would always want that certainty. Even having ILR is not that secure, it can be lost if you leave the UK for an extended period or get convicted of a crime. Contrary to what the media will have you believe, revoking British citizenship is very difficult and so getting the citizenship if possible (taking into consideration your personal circumstances, how would it affect your original citizenship etc) would always be my choice.

IamWendy do you have nothing better with your time than taunting and being nasty to people who are genuinely worried because "it is all their fault and they should have know about it". I am sure you are loving the attention your posts are getting. However do you take that attitude to everything. Would you say to your mum/friend/family member "oh well quit moaning because you have cancer because you smoked all those years ago? Doesn't matter that you tried to stop". Do you apply this attitude and lack of empathy to everything? If so I would work harder on being a decent human being. If not you are being a massive hypocrite so go and annoy someone on an other thread an leave poor OP alone

Even our current hideous government wouldn't do this ... would they? nothing would surprise me any more clayspaniel

Over the years I have met people from Italy, Poland, Ireland, Croatia, France, Germany, Iran and Ireland slagging off the 'Brits' violently, telling me that we are all 'stupid'

Maybe that's just their reaction to you?

Roffles at the bullying card being played when someone gets themselves outed as a racist mysogynist.

I am in the same situation as Allegretto, been in Italy for 22 years, and it has never crossed my mind until this year to take citizenship.

OP- if you do decide to naturalise (there is a misconception also on this thread about you having the "right" to citizenship- sadly you don't, as naturalisation is discretionary) then I'm sure that given your length of stay, future intentions demonstrably being in the UK, family ties etc, then you would have no problem and don't need to be forking out for an immigration lawyer. Why do you say you can't? Is there one of the criteria that you think you don't have?

Don't worry- not everyone is like userthingy and the Wendy one.

Figment with no period of five years of continuous employment in my 18 years here am I right in thinking that I wouldn't qualify for permanent residency and consequently couldn't become a British citizen?

Olivia there is no need for that is there?
I mixed with a very wide variety of people, from all over the place. obviously some were charming others less so. No need to jump in now is there ? or did you whiff the bullying as well and decide to get a bit of the action?

Wendy, there is a large difference between OP feeling it didn't matter because of Britain's membership of the EU and what OP judged the low likelihood of that situation changing, and the OP actively deciding against citizenship because she wanted to 'feel European' (your words).

But I suspect you knew that already.