Have you/ your family discussed any potential post-Brexit 'Plan Bs'?

[Quandry]

It's hard to predict what might happen over the next couple of years, so over the last month we've been thiking about the best way to keep our options open, and we've done the following:

• investigated family heritage for European links. DH's Polish background is too far back, but my Scottish grandfather would likely make me eligible for dual Scottish Nationality in the event of Scotland gaining independence.

-researched our potential eligibility to move to/work/retire in Canada, New Zealand, Australia

• investigated buying small properties in Scotland or France

Several of our friends in dual nationality families have been applied for EU passports for their babies/children.

Has anyone else been making any plans?

I find it amusing that people are now considering coming to live in Scotland given there's no decision on another referendum

It's still appealing because it's considered down here to be less Brexit-minded IYKWIM

It's hard to feel at home in England at the moment now that right wing statements that used to to be socially unacceptable are now openly shared!

However, I'd bet the vast majority of UK citizens lack the listed 'qualities' and are thus royally fked by Brexit.

Well I suppose if you look at it from a Leaver's perspective, it's the EU that has been the cause of all our woes, and post-Brexit, after a short period of adjustment, there will be sunlit uplands of economic bounty. I've seen estimates that we will be reaping the rewards in as little as 10-20 years.

Money
Skills
Qualification

You forget one - Youth.

This is really interesting. After reading the OP I expected more people to be taking a wait and see approach, I'm obviously being naive. We definitely don't have options for leaving, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried. Dh works for an American company and I've only had short term contracts since being made redundant in 2013, my profession absolutely crushed by austerity measures. We probably need to move house in the next year and I wish I knew whether it was wise to stretch ourselves or whether at the moment we should be very cautious? Any opinions?

I wonder whether we will see some tightening of rules for obtaining citizenship for EU countries and the UK.

I was born in Belgium which has quite strict rules (I can't apply for citizenship because I don't live there now). However, as many posters here have said we are seeing a rise in people applying for second passports for other countries now that Brexit looms ahead of us. Many people have little connection to the countries in question, for example a friend of mine had a German born grandparent (living in the U.K.) so her own parent and subsequently herself and her four children all have German passports yet I don't think have even visited the country. I know at least three other people doing the same thing with other EU grandparent connections.

I'm not saying whether we should or shouldn't be able to, but in light of the topic of this thread if I had the chance I would be applying for what I was currently entitled to quite quickly before some of the opportunities are reviewed and potentially changed to include the requirement to be resident for a period of time

Dc and I have dual Irish citizenship (thanks mum!) so next year once article 50 is invoked I will apply for our Irish passports.
I am working on dh...I want to move to Canada but he is not sure.

I have dual citizenship and am applying for EU passports for my children too. I am definitely considering moving to Europe with them if things get nasty - I don't just mean economically but if this level of xenophobia and suspicion proves to be sustained. I feel enormously disappointed by what this country has become in a few short months.

Draylon I am very much aware of that. The problem is that those who are most fucked are the ones who can least afford it but still voted for it, the ones Theresa May is pandering to to keep herself in power. All very well an unholy alliance of May and the Press creating all these false divisions between the "people"and the "elites", stoking up xenophobia to divide and rule, and calling anyone who doesn't agree a traitor but when you are driving out the very people who have the skills and qualifications, and youth, then what future does the country have?

For those who are applying for dual citizenships, do you have active connections and language skills for the countries in question?

Just out of interest really, Ireland excepted as it's a slightly easier move to make than mainland Europe (mostly due to language barriers), it makes me wonder how many people are applying who really could and would leave the UK if it came to it

false divisions between the "people"and the "elites", stoking up xenophobia to divide and rule, and calling anyone who doesn't agree a traitor but when you are driving out the very people who have the skills and qualifications, and youth, then what future does the country have?

Exactly ron, it's just the sad truth that those with money, skills, qualifications (and youth, and additional languages) will have more options, not condoning it at all.

Fruitbox Can't speak for anybody else, just me & DH plus young DC, we have no other EU citizenship open to us but have internationally desirable qualifications/skills which make it easy to move. Some of the destinations we are considering, we don't speak the language with any degree of fluency but are not concerned about this - we will learn.

Avery ....
"The attitude of Ylvamoon and other similar posters is why the UK seems to me to be changing, lurching further and further to the right."

With this comment ^ , I have to wonder who the insulating party is. On the other hand, sadly, the world is turning more right wing.

For the record, I want people to think twice before digging out some grandma they have never met. Ireland had a bailout from the EU- a fact I would consider carefully. The same as some European countries like Spain where classified as 3rd world countries only 40 years ago, it's the money from the EU that helped to lift their status.
And while the UK currently allows dual citizen ship, your new country may not- especially once the UK is out of the EU.
Likewise, it may be more beneficial to have an UK passport if you wish to work/ move further away. (Imagine, Trump and Corbin doing some trade deals together! )

And for my personal opinion, I think the UK is more likely to end up like Norway, relatively open borders, "free trade" and no say in policy making. Unless the Brexit campaigners suddenly turn up and deliver their promises.

TheElement- sorry, I am not GOD, just someone with a slightly tarnished crystal ball.

I'm well aware hyacinth I do live here after all. Alex Salmond talks out of a hole in his arse IMO as does Sturgeon.

Do you think he's talking out of his arse on this particular point, though? It's just that you objected to someone mentioning how Scotland would benefit from more young and well educated people moving there, but that is a pretty mainstream view...

YuckYuckEeew pretty please stop saying England when you mean UK. ROI doesn't have a special arrangement with England. I agree with a lot of things you've said, but not that one!

Fruitboxjury I do have connections which is why I'm able to apply for citizenship. I don't speak the language, but that doesn't matter as English is spoken fluently by almost everyone there. Also am not actively planning to move, and if we did it would probably be to Ireland not the country in question. The reason I want it is to have options and also because I could envisage people with EU citizenship being at an advantage in the UK domestic job market, should we lose freedom of movement.

Dc and I have dual Irish citizenship (thanks mum!) so next year once article 50 is invoked I will apply for our Irish passports.

see this is what I don't understand from people relying on Irish connections!

Why wait and count on the rules not changing in the meantime?

YOU are already a citizen if your mum was and was born in Ireland, they can't take that away, you wouldn't be applying for citizenship, you'ld just be claiming your passport

however, your kids are not currently citizens, under current rules they can apply to be citizens through their gran - but these things can and do change ! Admitedly this particular rule is unlikely to at least in the near future, but why count on that, why not get it NOW so you're not leaving that sliver of risk re. future rule changes?

draylon sounds like you're already half way there
elements internationally in demand qualifications is a really good point, would you feel like you were leaving a lot behind here, would you be sad to go? Having transferable skills and qualifications on an international level is going to be so important going forwards

Fruit..
I don't want to live in Ireland.
And I would leave tomorrow for Canada

Me and DH fall in the bracket who can still move thankfully though I feel sad even thinking of it. We have the options to move to EU/US/Australia and DH can work in Mid East (tax free earnings). our plan B is ready in sketch:if A50 isn't blocked by parliament, we go ahead and apply in the next year for these places and hopefully will be able to move within a year of that. DCs are young so they will not be too disturbed hopefully. It's going to rip lots of my plans though. But I think my DCs will thank me for this.

For us, the worst would be Brexit plus Scottish independence. If that comes about then we're thinking about moving (back) to NZ. DH would only have to do a year's conversion course to continue using his degree.

The only big worry about that would be selling our house here, but given the number of people on this thread who have said they want to move to Scotland that mightn't be so difficult after all.

YuckYuckEeew pretty please stop saying England when you mean UK. ROI doesn't have a special arrangement with England. I agree with a lot of things you've said, but not that one!

Because I don't mean the UK! That's why! I mean England, not England, Scotland, Wales and NI.

In future it is possible that the rights that people from all of the UK enjoy in Ireland, become restricted to only people from NI and possibly a deal with scotland. ENGLAND might find itself left out of it!

sorry I should have written "Canada" too. Thankfully our skills and area of work is good enough for us to consider this. Some of my Remain friends are anxious and it will not be possible for them to consider retraining etc.

With this comment , I have to wonder who the insulating party is

Yeah, still pretty sure it's the poster who's been calling other people cowards for obtaining dual nationality. The moral high ground has been and gone after that one, I'm afraid.

For the record, I want people to think twice before digging out some grandma they have never met. Ireland had a bailout from the EU- a fact I would consider carefully. The same as some European countries like Spain where classified as 3rd world countries only 40 years ago, it's the money from the EU that helped to lift their status.

How is any of this grounds not to apply for citizenship in a different EU country? I mean, if you're getting an Irish passport because of your gran (and I suspect most of us have actually met out grandparents) and planning to go and work in Berlin with it, or even just to stay in the UK and have it as an insurance option should the economy tank, what does Spain have to do with anything?

And while the UK currently allows dual citizen ship, your new country may not- especially once the UK is out of the EU.

Do you not think people might do their own research on that, rather than listening to the dire warnings of someone who only found out five minutes ago that you don't surrender your British citizenship if you have another? It's ok though, not like there's an entire constituent country of the UK where the large majority of people are entitled to dual citizenship. You couldn't possibly be expected to have known!

Re the Irish citizenship question - DS could have obtained it immediately on marriage to an Irish citizen, but didn't see the point as an EU/UK citizen with freedom of movement. Now because too much time has elapsed, he can't unless they up sticks and live there. He plans to apply for his children as soon as they have any.