Brexit consequences

[LaChatte]

So there are a million threads in AIBU and Chat, but nothing here?

I stayed up all night watching the results, it was devastating, since then I've gone from heart-broken to angry to sad.

I've spent the day looking into getting French nationality, ironically I have to renew my expired British passport in order to do that. The amount of paperwork I'll have to do is unbelievable, not to mention the cost of getting various documents officially translated.

So pissed off about not being able to vote on something that affects me directly.

How is it affecting everyone one else here (living in the EU, I mean), maybe people living outside the EU could share their experiences of what hoops they had to jump through in order to live and work abroad?

pensioners and losers whingeing on about making Britain 'great again' (what, like with colonies and racism and workhouses?) are having this much effect on the lives of people who weren't even entitled to vote.

ARCH well if that's how you feel about the 17 million British citizens who exercised their right to vote while resident in this country , I suggest you stay where you are and lie in the comfy bed that you made!
It beggers belief that you are angry because the British citizens have not considered the effect all this would have on those of you who decided to bugger off years ago.
You made your decision and we made ours, now live with it.

In Switzerland here. I couldn't vote, but DH who is half US half Brit did get a chance to vote. We as a family wanted Remain for our own selfish reasons; wanting an EU passport and not wanting our UK assets to devalue. But we kept quiet on our opinions as we are living and prospering in a non EU country in Europe, and felt hypocritical voting against allowing UK that too. Plus my family come from a UK fishing town and like most of the town were Leavers.

There are a few retired Brits in Switzerland who are not that wealthy, i need to look into the requirements but am hoping that retirement in France will still be possible (my great grandmother did it prior to WW2 and there was no EU then). Fingers crossed we get a decent exit package but then again not that hopeful, the EU have been a bitch to Switzerland.

Swiss friends and neighbours are happy UK is now out and have been congratulating me. Strange stuff

Oops, 100% personal!!!!

Oh, I get it now.

Arch - my ex in-laws have lived in Spain for 18 + years but were able to vote

ARCH well if that's how you feel about the 17 million British citizens who exercised their right to vote while resident in this country , I suggest you stay where you are and lie in the comfy bed that you made!
It beggers belief that you are angry because the British citizens have not considered the effect all this would have on those of you who decided to bugger off years ago.
You made your decision and we made ours, now live with it.

So you really feel that none of us Brits living in the EU deserved to have a say in it despite it meaning that many of us will be forced to return to the UK as a direct consequence of Brexit?

Norma - it's not a question of buggering off. The world has changed. People don't just move somewhere and stay there forever. People move back and forth for work, for love, for family. Jobs aren't for life anymore. We had been looking at jobs in the UK for a possible future move back but Brexit makes it all more difficult. It's like we are being forced back in time 40 years while the rest of the world moves on! I don't know what the economy will be like when my kids will be job hunting but isn't it great that if they work hard and get educated, they will be able to move across the whole of the EU to find work? Such a shame British kids will be disadvantaged.

Allegro , British children will still be able to work abroad if that is their wish and I totally agree with yours & everyones right to live & work where they want to. What I fail to understand is this expectation that those of us residing in Britain should consider the situation of Ex pats ? When weighing up the pros & cons ?
When I read a post from a Brit , living abroad for years ,that expresses their anger at our perceived lack of consideration for them it makes me feel a bit ......... Miffed?
AIBU ?? Sorry wrong thread!

Norma - you don't know what the rules will be for living and studying abroad yet, nobody does. The point is with the right to vote: we are British citizens and it does effect us, not just you. Why shouldn't we be able to vote? We haven't abandoned our country at all. In fact we are here because we were all part of the EU and that has changed.

British citizens who want to reap the benefits of citizenship ........ But what are you contributing to Britain while living abroad?
This argument could continue & probably will on various threads but my original point remains ....... It is a bit rich to get angry with leave voters for not considering the effects this would have on those who no longer live here?
We have quite enough to worry about

Yes - but it won't be so easy to live and work abroad will it?
I lived in Germany and Austria for over 13 years and the company did not need to prove the a German or Austrian could not do the job in order for me to get the job.
I think it was short sighted not to think about younger people in the UK who may want to work abroad in the future.

normastits well quite.

I have several friends and relatives who live outside the UK as expats in the middle east and Asia who are all furious about this. It strikes me that each of them has quite self serving reasons for wanting to stay in to be honest.

Either they are in a marriage where one is a British citizen and one an EU citizen and they don't want to have to go through the hassle of applying for EU citizenship for the British spouse who intends to go back and settle in Germany or wherever after their stint in the middle east, or they are both British but have no property in the UK, only a 'home' in another EU country that they holiday in and are hoping to retire to. Not one of them has actually lived in or paid tax in the UK in over 10 years, nor needed to use its schools or hospitals. And some of them are Scots or at least one parent is an EU national so their so their children have been able to go to university free in Scotland, which of course English kids can't do.

I also know two Brits who live and work in France and Spain running estate agency businesses and the majority of their clientele is British, so they are less than happy as there will now be a massive question mark over the survival of their businesses.

But again, why on earth they should expect that British people actually living and working in the UK should have stopped to give them a second thought when they don't ever intend to live in the UK again, pay no tax there and don't invest in the UK in any way is beyond me.

WeekendAway umm, because I wanted to come back and live in the UK with my family and contribute and now I probably can't?

DH is a non EU citizen, married before rules on minimum income to bring non EU spouse to the UK were even mooted. DCs and I are British citizens. Since DH is main wage earner we don't meet the requirements and it is not a practical proposition for me to move with two young children and look for work as a single parent. Until now, we had spent some time living together in France but now probably won't be able to do that either as DH's work permit was due to my EU nationality. DCs abroad in French schools, but not at all clear how easy it will be for them to study in France in the future if they wish to do so.

Only option now is DH's home country which is stable short term, not so much long term and has no career options for me.

My parents and siblings all live in the UK and contribute. They don't spend as much time with us and DCs as they would like. Since they are taxpayers, perhaps they are allowed to have an opinion?

I live in the EU. One of the hardest things about the current situation is that weird position of wanting and hoping the best for the UK under the circumstances (although personally I think Brexit is jumping from the frying pan into the fire) on the one hand, but not wanting Brexit to be successful on the other hand for fear of it fanning the right-wing flames of other EU countries there does seem to be a huge xenophobic backlash developing as a consequence of Brexit and I find that worrying.

Kiwi with UK PR (known as Indefinite Leave to Remain), living in Scotland.
I was all set to apply for citizenship when I started paying attention to the Independence Referendum, thought I'd hold off until after. Then fucking DC pulls this referendum on us, so held off again

I am now toen between waiting and seeing how the shit storm plays out and just booking tickets back home. There is not much for me there besides my parents and a few friends though.
This is all complicated by the fact I am considering ending my marriage so may find myself stuck here regardless of how crap it gets.

Feel really sad, angry and disappointed. Lived in Spain for 8 years and DS secondary educated in Spain and bilingual. Came back to UK 5 years ago when he started University to study Spanish, French & German. He has just finished at Oxford and is about to start his first proper job as a teacher of MFL in a state secondary in the south east. I fear for his future in the profession as I'm sure an even greater proportion of youngsters will shy away from studying a European language than ever before putting the viability of language departments in question, with a knock on effect of reducing promotion opportunities.

Brexit has also thrown our retirement plans into question as our anticipated return to Spain is now unlikely. We will probably have to make do with short term stays renting a property rather than buying and resettling there. Concerns over health care arrangements, effects on pensions and possible additional taxes on non EU residents living in Spain etc will mean our move is now unlikely, not to mention the pound falling through the floor so property there becoming more expensive by the hour. Seriously thinking of moving to Scotland instead!

Luxembourg. I am retired BUT voted to remain. Able to vote as I did not officially become non UK resident until 14 years ago so scraped in under the bar to vote.
I have a residents permit granted 14 years ago. EU rules changes shortly after that so it has not been obligatory to get this permit for quite a few years. I am hoping this permit will count if free movement does not form part of the new Brexit Britain.
DP is a UK Citizen so also hope that will help.

Friendlymum67, I suspect your ex in laws are not residents of Spain. Like many British immigrants there, they are really on a long holiday from Britain and use the EHIC card to cover medical bills. That may be the reason they had a vote.

Fat fingers,
DP is a EU Citizen

What a mess!

I live in UK but was hoping to buy in France - and shuttle between the two countries.

Now have no idea how, if at all, this will work.

It must be dreadful for all those of you who are living overseas but hold Uk nationality too.

We live in Germany and have been waiting for an appointment to start the citizenship process here for about 6 months......

DHs work are now fortunately going to pick up the baton for us - and hopefully speed things up.

Not sure if we can still keep the uk citizenship - which if the uk were a member of the EU would be fine - I suppose it depends when/if we officially leave and what date they use.

Uncertain times ahead.....

We live in France and own our property. DP works in Switzerland and has a British passport. Goodness only knows how this will pan out for us.

LaChatte you don't need an appointment to ask for French citizenship. You need to get your dossier together and present it to the prefecture. You need to take the language exam and get all you documents officially translated before you present the dossier. You will be invited to interview later on once your dossier has been dealt with and has been accepted. You need to prove adequate income as well as integration into French society. Whole thing takes about 2 years.

See www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F15832 and www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2213

I know, but I have to get a bloody carte de séjour first (despite the mairie saying they didn't exist anymore for EU citizens), then I can do the naturalisation thing, I've already started getting the stuff together, sod's law I'm going to have to reorder my birth certificate a second time because it will be more than three months old by the time I send of the dossier.

And I'm NOT learning the Marseillaise, I don't even know God Save the Queen and that's way eaiser!

And I can't sing