U.K., Norway agree on citizens’ status after Brexit
01 November, 2018
British citizens already living in Norway and Norwegian citizens living in Britain will have the right to remain residents, even in case of a no-deal Brexit, the prime ministers of Britain and Norway said on Tuesday.
The agreement announced Tuesday was the first concrete step agreed between Britain and the Nordic country on terms that would apply after Britain leaves the EU in March. Norway is not a member of the EU but is part of the single market as a member of the wider European Economic Area (EEA).
“Prime Minister May and I agreed that Norway and U.K. will put in place a comprehensive citizens rights’ agreement,” said Erna Solberg, prime minister of Norway.
“We will treat all U.K. citizens living in Norway ... so they will have the same opportunities as they had before also after March 2019,” she said, adding that Britain and Norway were “very close” on agreeing a deal to mirror any Brexit deal London concludes with Brussels.
British Prime Minister Theresa May, visiting Oslo, said she was making the same commitment to Norwegian citizens, as part of a wider pledge to grant such rights to citizens of all EEA countries already living in Britain.
“Whatever happens, we confirm that people from the EEA, the Norwegian citizens and those others who are living in the U.K., and who have made their life choice to be in the U.K., well, to be able to be in the U.K. We want them to stay.”
Solberg said that in the event Britain leaves the EU without a free trade deal with the EEA countries, the most challenging issue between Norway and Britain would be the trade in goods.
Minister sparks confusion
LONDON (AFP-Jiji) — Britain’s immigration minister sparked confusion Tuesday by saying employers would have to check the immigration status of EU nationals after Brexit — even though it would be “impossible” to do so.
During a parliamentary committee hearing, Caroline Nokes admitted that it would be almost impossible for employers to establish whether existing employees or job applicants were long-term residents or not if they had not yet obtained “settled status.”
Under a proposed government scheme, which is to be in place by the time Britain leaves the European Union on March 29 next year, EU migrants who have resided in Britain for at least five years by the end of 2020, can apply for “settled status.”
This means they would be able to live in Britain indefinitely.
Anyone living in Britain who does not have five years’ residence by Dec. 31, 2020 can apply to stay until they have.
The government has not yet outlined its proposed immigration system that would apply after 2020.