Pollypaprika

...Does anyone have any update on the B word. I have to admit I have not really been following the latest...it seems to upset most people regardless of what camp they fall into...but any impartial update would be welcome.

Especially in reference to what the implications are re living in Hungary.

If you are not sure what the B word is...it starts with B has and X in it and ends with T :-)

Don Lugosi

I was trying to follow it, but it’s more of an unknown really. I’m very sure it won’t affect British nationals living in continental Europe, and the U.K. may adopt a point system for people wanting to work and stay there. If the split is not amicable … who knows?

Pollypaprika

Indeed. Who knows. Everyone was running around like headless chickens at first and I haven't heard too much since. Just thought I better check in to make sure I was not missing anything

Peter_in_Hungary

Hmm - I'm not sure about not affecting ex pats. With frozen pensions, resident / movement rights, reciprocal health care agreements, the ability to work without months of paperwork, property purchase and the ability to make cross border online purchases - to name a few issues - all of which will be in the bucket of disposable items in the name of political bargaining - I have NO confidence that expats won't be affected, IMO it's just a matter of how badly.

wolfi

From a EU "member" like me:

The problem for us is that we don't know what the Brits really want - ans especially what they want to give back ...
There are so many different voices. Yesterday I read in the Guardian that someone from agriculure said that of course "East European workers" will be welcome, actually they are needed for harvesting (just like in France or DACH) - but what will be their rights?
Will they be allowed to work for three months and then get kicked out again?

To us it seesm that the Brits want everything for them but are not willing to give anything back - and that makes for a lot of bad feelings!
So there will be difficult discussions and anyway the core EU doesn't like the financial machinations happening in London so they will be happy to get rid of the London banks e g.

We will live in interesting times ...

PS:
As Peter wrote, health care might become a problem - who pays for it?
However people who spend money will always be welcome, whether as tourists or residents - just being able/allowed to work might be a problem.

Pollypaprika

I seem to recall mention of the possibility of an option of opting for joint EU/UK citizenship...not sure if that was just a vague hope or a serious press report.

Peter_in_Hungary

But the Brits don't know what the Brits want either

duztee

I'm in the 'Still up in the air' camp.
since there is nothing I can do to affect things I will just wait and see where all the cackca lands.

scrubbedexpat0105

Hm, I would say that the Brits (to be more precise, the Brexiteers) do know what they want. They are just having great difficulty accepting that they're not going to get it...

Pandem

Everything is still speculation as the EU will not negotiate until A50 is invoked, and the UK government have said they don't want to disrupt their position in the negotiations by making their intentions public... Plus if they say anything about EU citizens/UK citizens abroad, it could initiate a panic...

Think the only thing that is set right now is that A50 will be triggered in March, meaning an exit will be Apr 2019 or earlier. An extension is possible but unlikely without the agreement of all EU members. Strictly speaking we're not even sure if it will be triggered in March, as we still await the supreme court deciding if parliament must vote on it or not.

In the meantime it's expected that UK citizens in the EU, and EU citizens in the UK will keep resident status as at least from the UK perspective it's going to be a massive administrative headache otherwise. Whether that will be permanent / temporary / conditional / etc and from which point you would have had to have resided from (Before referendum? Before exit?) is a big unknown.

And like Polly pointed out, we also have the proposal that people will be able to individually pay to be a member. This is still a big what-if though.

So yeah... I'm taking a wait and see approach.

Pollypaprika

Seems like the best option to me too.

wolfi

Don't know if I remarked on this yet:

One of my sisters lives near London with her Englsih husband, their children just renewed (or got it now) German passports - the only unhappy guy in the family is my niece's husband ...
He's Irish and works for a bank in London and doesn't know what to expect ...

I always found it funny when my sister told me that she chooses the "better" passport when travelling internationally - some countries are nicer to you when you show a British passport (usually former British Empire countries), others prefer the German.

Peter_in_Hungary

Just to pick a nit - the husband can't be English if he's Irish !
If he's from Northern Ireland then he's British with a British passport and if he's from Southern Ireland then he's Irish, will have an Irish passport and he is one of the ones the Brexiteers are complaining about - Too many immigrants

IMO its all a Bloody nonsense and a great shame!

wolfi

Peter, I wrote "my niece's husband ..." so it's my sister's Irish son in law who's anxious what will come up.

My sister and her husband don't have any problems - retirees with money are welcome all over the world ...

Peter_in_Hungary

Oops Sorry I miss read whos husband.