Brexit: what would happen to EU citizens living in UK?

[marghini]

I am a EU citizen and I have been living, working and paying taxes in the UK for a while.

I am really concerned about what would happen to the EU citizens who built a life for themselves and settled here in the UK in case of a Brexit.

Do you think all EU citizens already living in the UK would be pushed out? Or perhaps the government would just stop allowing further EU immigration?

@ Sidelle
You say EU migrants should pay a £500 charge to NHS. Don't they do that already by paying taxes? If not, by whom do you think NHS is being funded? And if so, why do you think access to the NHS should be free only to tax paying UK citizens, not tax paying EU citizens?

@pekao

Well if it's not fair for eu citizens then why is it fair for non eu migrants? They pay taxes and still have to pay the nhs charge ? I don't see why the eu citizens should get an easier deal than the non eu migrants.

I'm saying it should be one rule for all, so eu migrants and non eu migrants should both be entitled to same benefits or both entitled to none at all. Obviously to give out benefits and allow every migrant to use the nhs would put a massive strain on the tax payer, therefore they should create a system that's fair to all.

You're forgetting the reciprocal element of EU agreements, from which millions of British migrants, tourists and business travellers benefit.

Millions might benefit but many are disadvantaged when they feel the effects of mass migration.

But this is my point, millions of brits benefit from the high skilled labour that comes here from non eu migrants (doctors etc) yet these non eu migrants are subject to unfair restrictions put on them by the home office.

The bottom line is if a low skilled migrant from an eu country comes here and finds themselves in need of help, public funds are available to them. Yet, a high skilled non eu migrant who has payed taxes is not entitled to any help what so ever and can even face deportation if things go wrong.

Why would anyone justify that system??

The two things aren't a necessary consequence of each other though sidelle. You can have a humane immigration system that is fair to non EU immigrants without leaving the EU. Equally, there is no guarantee that, if a brexit does happen, conditions will improve for non-EU immigrants. Both those things are determined by government policy, not by EU membership.

Indeed it seems to me that the focus on EU migration as the main leave campaign argument has "poisoned the well" for all immigrants. People have become much more comfortable about making xenophobic and even racist statements in public than they have been since the "no blacks or Irish" era. This will make it easier and even desirable for future governments to implement even stricter conditions for migrants, including people like your partner.

Just round the corner we have a Polish car wash. .they have a staff of about 12 and wash the car for £5 or full inside and outside for £10. They take about 10 minutes to do the car. You can work out the turnover.

Local house prices start at £200,000 for a two bed terrace.

Clearly the staff at the car wash can not afford a home in the normal sense of a family home. They must be living in some sort of shared accommodation or getting subsidies. ... or both.

Whilst the immigrants may be earning more than they could at home, they are living on the poverty line by local standards. What affect does this have on our society?. Is ths somethg we should be promoting?

Then there is the effect on housing. Here in north Essex have to build a town the size of Maldon over the next 15 years to address housing shortage of which the imigrant population is a part.. That is covering our countryside with houses. Is this what we reqlly want?

I could mention, roads, schools, doctors, water supply, railways and every other supply we need.

I really don't think it will come to an exit, Cameron is doing too good a job of scaring people into a crashing economy if we leave

Mistigri, there's nothing racist about wanting the best for your country.

Go to london and try and get seen within 3 hours at a&e. Look at the waiting time for a council house, read reports stating that the increase of people cannot be sustained by the nhs. Our welfare system was not built to take care of eu migrants it was built for the most vulnerable of our society who are now feeling the effects of mass migration the most.

Racism is defined as hating someone for their ethnicity, it's not racist to try protect our welfare system from collapsing.

I'm not suggesting there is anything racist or even xenophobic about making objective comments on the negative aspects of migration. But that's not what I'm talking about, and you know it.

Just look a few posts up this thread and you'll come across a comment in which the poster suggests that migrants should be drowned in the Med.

That may not be explicitly racist but it's certainly xenophobic.

I'd never agree with anyone that says that about the migrants in the med, we're all human at the end of the day and we all want what's best for our family.

However, we have to be honest this referendum is about what's best for our children's future and we all know deep down mass migration will make life more difficult in the uk if we stay in the eu.

For me I believe that EU migrants should not have automatic right to our welfare system before they've paid at least 5 years of taxes. It's counterproductive for them to pay taxes if they're just going to get it back in wtc, ctc and housing benefit.

Well, you're on a thread which isn't about whether people should vote out or in, or whether immigration is good or bad. This thread is about what happens to existing migrants - people like me and many others whose futures are potentially threatened by brexit.

I think you can expect people like us - many of whom (like me) are very definitely net contributors to our host states - to want to keep the rights that we already have. That doesn't mean we think that the way the home office treats non-EU migrants is fair; in many respects, it's not. But if brexit is accompanied by a wave of distrust and even aggression towards foreigners, that's not going to help any immigrants regardless of where they come from.

Well I adressed those issues because I originally said that if we leave I hope eu citizens have the same restraints as non eu migrants. So everything I said is in relation to my original statement.

Unless the government is willing to give all the migrants who live here in the uk equal treatment and rights then no I don't think EU citizens should get special treatment in the event of brexit. There was once a time here in the uk when being married to a british citizen was enough to allow you to stay in the uk. About 4 years ago that law changed and this new legislation has torn apart families across the country. So if this is what brits have to go through, why should an EU migrant get special treatment after brexit. And trust me those non eu migrants paid their taxes and where still told they can't stay here with their british family. This is what will probably happen to EU migrants after brexit, it tough, but it would be outrageous to let eu migrants automatically be entitled to live here while other have to pay expensive visa fees.

Well, if you prefer to engage in a race to the bottom rather than working to improve the rights of all immigrants, then that's up to you. It's not really something that can be debated.

As a side note, your partner may actually have more rights if you move as a family to another EU country. So it may be worth considering exercising your right to free movement while you can.

I don't see why I have to leave the uk just so i can live with my family. This is my own country why should I leave??

See this is the problem with that mentality, you don't move to another country to improve your situation. You stay and fight to improve the current problems in your own country not bring more to another country unless you've got something to contribute.

Sidelle -- your partner is a handy aspiration immigrant. Ask them if they want to come to UK for benefits. If you grow up in a country without benefits or where there's severe social stigma about them, then you don't immigrate in hope of getting benefits. It's outside your experience to even think that way, if you never lived under a reliable welfare state you. EU migrants are very much less likely to receive benefits than the native British born population. So basically, EU migrants WILL keep coming here for work, and the immigration figures are going to stay high no matter what UK's relationship is with EU (short of us becoming a North Korea style state).

I completely understand your frustration, but voting stay or leave won't make any difference to your situation.

I was moved by a book I read this yr about a Liberian immigrant to USA. She managed to raise 8 children in Liberian war zones, but then had an abortion after she went to the USA because she had to work (having never had a job before) and she didn't see how she could raise a child and hold down a job. She had no idea about welfare, but she knew that to get ahead in life in USA you needed to work. Not expecting welfare is the very predominant immigrant mentality.

this is the problem with that mentality, you don't move to another country to improve your situation. You stay and fight to improve the current problems in your own country

You might ask your partner why he didn't do this! Do you have any idea how hypocritical you sound?

My parnter came his here got his degree, hes a chartered account has a british son with me.

If you want to get personal let's talk about you? ? What country are you from ?

My partner is from Pakistan a commonwealth country which have always traditionally migrated to the uk since the 50's

My partner came here to study and paid uni fees of £12,000 a year. He's not some low skilled migrant from a European country coming yet if he was he'd get better treatment.

Go to your local hospital, go look at the top consultants and tell me how many are Europeans and how many are british, indian, Chinese, African or pakistani doctors then we can have this conversation.

No matter what you think or want the British public will decide and let's hope it's an out vote

Misitgri, I didn't make this personal but you did. Stick to the facts instead of giving me advice on where my family should live, and telling me I sound hypocritical doesn't change anything. There's a reason the European citizens are not entitled to vote in the referendum because this will effect our future as British citizens, nothing you want say or do will change that.

As British citizen we have a right to vote leave or stay in the EU. I personally think it will be in the best interest of Britain to leave the EU. I think its about time we stop people (who are probably unemployed, criminals, rapist, fraudsters) from the EU from entering into the UK just because they can. I think there should be a proper check in place just like all the other non eu migrants go through. There is no denying that the EU has brought some very useful laws to the UK. But its factual that the cons outweigh the pros. @mistgri

Commonwealth citizens get a vote in the Referendum, too (so say the 3 CW citizens in my office).

Can't wait for rest of EU to deport all the British criminals & fraudsters back to us. Actually, wasn't that a big problem with Spain for a long time, British criminals hiding from UK justice there?

This is a major concern to me as my husband and father of both my children, is an EU citizen, so I have done a lot of googling on it. The most interesting thing I found on the subject is this from the BBC:

^"We do know there are around three million people from other EU countries resident in the UK and all are entitled to use NHS services. That definitely adds to demand.
But crucially those people would be unlikely to leave the UK, even if the UK left the EU.
That's because the Vienna Convention, an international treaty, ensures that those who settled in another country - and that includes both the EU citizens settled in the UK and the UK citizens living in other EU countries - should be allowed to stay, if the UK decided to leave the EU.
Whether it restricts future migration from the EU would depend on whatever deal the UK struck when it left the EU."^

I found that very reassuring.

Unless the government is willing to give all the migrants who live here in the uk equal treatment and rights then no I don't think EU citizens should get special treatment in the event of brexit. There was once a time here in the uk when being married to a british citizen was enough to allow you to stay in the uk. About 4 years ago that law changed and this new legislation has torn apart families across the country. So if this is what brits have to go through, why should an EU migrant get special treatment after brexit. And trust me those non eu migrants paid their taxes and where still told they can't stay here with their british family. This is what will probably happen to EU migrants after brexit, it tough, but it would be outrageous to let eu migrants automatically be entitled to live here while other have to pay expensive visa fees.

If I can't have it, then why should you? What a lovely attitude you have. I don't think it's fair that those non-EU nationals married and settled in the UK should have to leave. I think it is wrong. I have a cousin who cannot settle here with his wife because he does not earn enough to meet the regulations. I feel it is unfair because they would not be a drain on the state, they just don't have the saving and current income, they do have a large family network though. I don't understand your reasoning that we should boot out all EU migrants because that would make the other wrong, what? Less wrong? More fair? It would be more fair then, to deport my husband and leave me looking after the two kids alone? I would probably have to leave my job (professional) as I cannot run the house and pay for childcare on my income alone. I am sure I would manage though with single mum benefits... Oh, and my husbands employer would find it difficult to replace him, speaking 3 languages fluently is not something they find easily.

SIdelle nobody care about your opinions. People post messages here to help eachother. Please don't stress yourself and others.

Commonwealth citizens get a vote in the Referendum, too unlike some British citizens ...