A view from abroad
How would a proposed Brexit affect the rights of Brits living and studying overseas, as well as other EU citizens in the UK? Adversely, in the first instance.
With so many Brits currently living in EU member states, what will happen to them if the 23rd June marks the end of our membership of the EU?
At the moment, it is very easy for Brits to jump on a flight or a boat or even a train and travel visa-free from country to country within the European Union. However, this is set to change with the upcoming referendum on Britain’s place in the EU. In the best case scenario, we would negotiate hundreds of bilateral agreements, such as has been done in Switzerland, or apply to be in the European Economic Area, an agreement which allows third countries (such as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) to be part of the Single Market. However, in the worst case scenario, British expats could become illegal immigrants overnight and we would all have to apply for visas when visiting the EU.
At the moment, Brits can easily move to another EU country and vice-versa, thanks to the principle of free movement, enshrined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. This could all change though, and a Brexit could make it much harder for us to move to, find work or study on the continent. Whilst the government would presumably negotiate some sort of agreement with the EU, the EU is likely to offer up more resistance than it did for Cameron’s recent renegotiations. There are no provisions in EU law that guarantee expats’ rights to live, work and study freely in the EU, rights that would have to be reciprocated to EU nationals within the UK…
Moreover, British expats will be particularly affected as many of them won’t even be able to vote to have a say in a decision that will affect them more than most. About half of the 2 million British expats have lived abroad from more than 15 years and so are unable to vote in elections. Even if the government does lift this voting ban, as it apparently plans to, this won’t be done in time for the referendum. Online communities such as Votes for Expats or Facebook Groups, like UK Citizens in the EU or British Expats: Say Yes 2 Europe have appeared, as well as a petition asking the government to extend voting rights to all citizens living abroad. The government has also published a report outlining the risks of a Brexit but so far it is unclear as to what would actually happen to British expats.
Furthermore, let us not forget the consequences a future Brexit would have on higher education. The UK currently receives about £1 billion from the EU to fund research, and European students bring £2.2 billion to our economy. Brexit would mean the loss of funding that is fundamental to maintaining the quality of our universities. If Britain were to leave the EU, it is highly likely that we would receive fewer EU students as they would have to pay higher fees and wouldn’t benefit from government support. Take the case of UCL: 12% of its student body comes from the EU which means that about £40 million of its tuition fee income is at risk.
The Erasmus programme would also suffer; the UK is the 4th most popular destination country (it received 27 401 students in 2013-2014) and is the 5th country in terms of sending students. Who knows whether we would still be able to take part in this programme?
It’s no secret that with the increasing mobility of European citizens through the development of the European community, Brexit will not only impact Brits in the UK, but also Brits abroad. Brexit won’t have an immediate effect on Britain, but ultimately, it will end up alienating us further from continental Europe.
