Alastairm

Ever since I was in France as a student I've always been interested in returning to live there one day, maybe retiring there, or in Spain.

But I am getting increasingly concerned about all the talk back home about a British EU exit, and how many of our compatriots want to stop EU nationals living and working in Britain.

But residence rights are reciprocal - if the UK stops EU citizens living in the UK, other EU countries will simply stop UK citizens living and working in their countries. There are several million Britons living in other EU countries; if they lost their residence rights and were forced to return home the results could be chaotic. Maybe a Swiss or Norwegian-type deal could be arranged - but don't count on it ....

Is anyone else in this forum worried about his? How do all the expats in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria feel about these potential developments? Is anyone lobbying our government on our behalf to make sure we don't all get sent home if/when the UK leaves the EU?

Mitzyboy

Why do you think that Ex Pats would have to return to their own countries. Have you any idea of how many Europeans now live AND WORK in countries other than their home countries.

On that side of things the EU has gone too far now to start returning workers to their own countries.

Alastairm

Because the agreements are reciprocal. Why should Bulgaria, Greece, France or Spain let us live there if we won't let Bulgarians, Greeks, French or Spanish live in Britain?

JB80

It will never happen, the UK wont leave to begin with and even if they did like Mitzyboy said there is far too much at stake not just people wise either. The amount of expats who live and work whether privately or are working in EU agencies will not just be kicked out not to mention the many, many contracts and collaborative efforts that the UK is involved with. To just cancel them would be illegal.
So you are right, legally speaking even to leave there will have to be some type of EFTA agreements in place.

Even if the UK did leave they are not going to stop immigration full stop, I don't know why people think/wish/expect that they will because it's just not reality of the situation.

You have to remember that Brits have lived throughout Europe long before the EU came about and will continue to do so in the future.
The worst case scenario will be tougher visa requirements for entry.

Mitzyboy

Because for one thing they want British expertise

Far away from the usual retired expat level, there are thousands of British people employed by foreign Companies ...... do you think they will just be dispensed with?

On an expat level, millions of expats in general spend huge amounts of money every week in the countries that they have chosen to live in. One would have to assume that the Governments would realise this, and not make the mistake of dispensing with millions of euros of revenue that their economy really needs badly.

Domino

As Mitzy and JB80 say, it is too late to stop it. Immigration and foreign travel have been going on for millenia. You can't stop it.
And I don't think the UK wants to stop it either. What it has suddenly realised, partly because of the DM & DE and other redtops campaigns, is that there are a large number of people who are abusing the British system. Taking tax rebates and child allowance for kids that have never even visited the country, and may not even exist.
All countries offer medical support for pregnant women visiting - but in the UK they come to have their children at no cost to themselves and their home country. Then ask for asylum.

Europe, in the widest sense, is home to hundreds of thousands of Brits who provide international expertise in many areas of business, from accountancy to legal, from windfarms to electronics. They rarely visit the UK and are more than happy with their lot in the EU. They move around in Europe from one country to another as they move jobs.

All that can happen is reciprocal arrangements for movement of people will be cancelled, the queue's to get through UK Immigration will get even worse than the bad they are now.
And yet they won't stop illegal immigration, they won't stop losing II's in their thousands. It will just make life harder for us.

The UK has to understand that although an island they cannot remain so in international terms, the future of the country lies in Europe as has its past.

Gordon Barlow

Alistair was right the first time - a Swiss- or Norwegian-type deal could be arranged. There are just far too many Europeans living in nations other than their own to make it a practical proposition to remove them all. My son (British) has lived in Norway for ten years and has two Norwegian children there. (No wives - alas! - Norwegian or other...) I can't think of any nation that would willingly give up all its immigrants. Britain might give up one or two nationalities - Romania and Moldova, perhaps - but it would never be a general thing, in your lifetime or your grandchildren's.