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

www.pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk/about-pensions/when-things-change/moving-abroad

Pensions info.

Thanks! X

I'm not sure why you think you didn't qualify as yu had automatic residence rights as a family member.
europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/residence/family-residence-rights/eu-wife-husband-children/index_en.htm

Thanks to you Jaws, as I didn't realise I could still pay into a UK pension thingy from here! (as I will retire at about 109 here and receive 46p a month! )

Lunde - OP's husband is British.. you cannot rely on European law if your partner is British unless there are certain limited circumstances. Ironically if her husband had been an EU citizen but not British it is possible she would be in a better situation!

"if her husband had been an EU citizen but not British it is possible she would be in a better situation!"
Figment would you mind explaining why? thank you.

thenlater . Yes, it's a no win situation for anybody. I do know many UK citizens who are very worried about their children's futures - Remain voters, of course. Maybe Leavers think that their children won't have the need to study/ work / live in a EU country because it will be so great here without all the foreigners. I'm puzzled.

Something has gone massively wrong in this country. We seem to have a situation where it is virtually impossible to deport people who are a danger to our society, yet the govt wastes time making perfectly decent families jump through hoops when all they want is to live with their spouse and have a family life.

I know a non EU immigrant. I don't understand why, as the spouse of a British citizen she doesn't get automatic right to live here but if her dh was from the EU he could bring a non EU spouse here, no problem.

I think our immigration system is such a mess that it is leading to resentment of the wrong people and either a sort of blanket anti immigration feeling or a feeling that there should be no immigration control at all with total freedom of movement. Instead there should be recognition that people are not an homogenous mass and not all immigration is good/bad. The govt should start by reassuring families with ILR that they are not going to be deported.

"Think our immigration system is such a mess that it is leading to resentment of the wrong people and either a sort of blanket anti immigration feeling or a feeling that there should be no immigration control at all with total freedom of movement. " And Theresa May failed to fix this during her time as home secretary. Go figure.

Because if her husband was an EU citizen, she could tag along to his EU status - so if he had been working for 5 years, and she was living with him in the UK as his spouse, she would also qualify for permanent residency - she would not need to demonstrate exercising a Treaty Right of her own. But as her husband is British, he is not living in the UK on the basis of European law (he is doing so as is his right under British law) and so she has to find her own Treaty Right to use. Oh, and she didn't have the option to just get a spousal visa as the spouse of a British person, because the Home Office cannot endorse an EU citizen's passport with a UK time limited visa.

Sometimes the law is all sorts of stupid...

Aderyn2016 - you have hit the problem on the head. I think if 5-10 years ago the immigration system had been reformed so that serious criminals were treated properly, more resources were given to prevent illegal immigration, then perhaps we wouldn't have this wave of distrust of immigration and all the rhetoric about bringing numbers down etc etc. But it goes back to my earlier post.. if people had been able to discuss these issues without being shouted down as racist then things may have gone differently.

I am astonished that the government have not said that any EU citizens living here would not be protected. Even UKIP's manifesto said that all EU citizens already here should be given permanent residency. I suspect this hard line is simply a strategy the government is running to try and gain the upper hand in Brexit negotiations. But playing with real people's lives is hardly fair and not what I want to see from a British government.

I wonder if Nick Clegg's wife is worried ..and Nigel Farages?

Sorry OP you are so worried. None of the leave voters I know feel as Wendy does.

Hope your thread has helped you, Figments knowledge is awesome.

The only think you know I feel through is that op shouldn't expect sympathy when, as figment pointed out, she didn't fulfill any treaty requirements to remain. The rest of the vitriol you have decided I feel is entirely of the imaginative posts of some.
When Muslims have a religious ceremony, but don't follow up with a legal one in UK, should they feel aggrieved when they can't claim married tax allowance even though they feel married? Op might well feel very British, but you need more than that in some areas of life.
My point ha s only ever been legalities. But, I get that part of the remain 'script' is to label anyone who disagrees as xenophobic etc etc. Peace out.

No I don't feel British at all. I felt part of a word order in which I had the right to live and work in any of the EU countries.
Nobody ever told me that in order to exercise my treaty rights I had to have comprehensive health insurance. This is the infuriating part.

Iamwendy your post are so... plebby is the word, I believe.

You are not doing team Brexit any favours. Your posts come across so wilfully ignorant and shit stirring, what do you get out of it?

I don't feel British at all either. I feel European and proud.
Sadly, through none of the few Leavers I know (only a few) have tried to even understand my position or even shown any sympathy despite being members of my husband's family. Their position is very similar to Wendy's.

jaws must be difficult if you aren't getting any support within your own family for the way you feel. I am a leaver; my vote was almost entirely down to economic reasons, very little to do with immigrants and immigration. I have been naive to think that nationals from other countries wouldn't feel so hurt by the vote, as to me, it wasn't at all personal. But since the vote I have learnt from my foreign born friends that they have taken it very personally, (as well as from the posters on MN) and although initially shocked I can understand that and sympathise, but believe me the reason I and those close to me voted out has virtually nothing to do with the immigration issue.

Thank you through

IamWendy Please, shut up.
Don't start muslim-bashing and hope someone will agree.

knight she won't stop, or think, let alone combine the two. She'll continue exploiting people's anxiety at this dreadful situation in order to achieve a sense of superiority, it must feel reassuring to, at last, have the opportunity to make foreigners feel shit. She must feel very threatened by us "migrants" but also by liberal minded people in general. It's just that we are mostly liberal minded people ourselves, so the resentment is double! Keep it on, wendy it's almost satisfying to witness!

"She'll continue exploiting people's anxiety at this dreadful situation in order to achieve a sense of superiority"
Isn't that what Internet trolls do jaws?

Jaws5 Yes, I agree; it's a superiority-complex issue that is irritating enough but then they had to go all 'daily-mail' on us and throw on some muslim-bashing for good measure. Sigh.
Karma will prevail in time.
Anyway, OP DorothyL I truly hope you find a legal solution to your situation

The Islamic wedding was an example of something not legally recognised in law in the UK, but I'm sure you know that. Don't let a bit of truth get in the way of mud slinging.

I think the pot might be calling the kettle there Wendy.