ARCHIVED - Spanish government to guarantee residency for UK nationals in the case of a hard Brexit

The process will be almost automatic for those already resident, and open to around 400,000 more Britons

In one of its last acts before the general election which has been called on 28^th April, the Spanish government is to introduce a decree outlining contingency plans for a hard Brexit on 29^th March, including measures to make life relatively easy for British residents in this country including those who are currently without permanent residency status.

The intention in Madrid is to offer new residency papers to around 400,000 UK nationals if, as seems possible with just four weeks to go until Brexit, the UK leaves the EU with no Withdrawal Agreement, according to reports in the national press. The plan is to be approved by Cabinet on Friday, according to El País, and is included in a Decree which also states that benefits are extended to Gibraltar, although again it is important to stress that Spain will have a power of veto in any future agreement between the UK and the EU regarding the British Overseas Territory.

It must also be underlined that these favours extended to anxious UK nationals in Spain, many of whom are worried about their future status and rights in this country, are conditional on the British government making similar concessions to Spaniards living in the UK, and that the same applies to the measures outlined for British businesses in this country.

Once approved by the Cabinet, the Decree will be fast-tracked to parliament for approval, as Spain prepares for an eventuality which with under a month to go before 29^th March can still not be absolutely ruled out by the British government.

If the Decree comes into force, British residents in Spain will have until January 2021 to prove their legal residency status, and it is stated in the Spanish press that for those who already already have permanent residency status “the process will be almost automatic.” For others, though, there be additional requirements, and the government’s estimate is that as well as the 300,000 Britons who are already resident in this country there could be as many as 400,000 more.

Similarly, with a view to securing a similar deal for Spaniards in the UK, the Decree stresses the need to guarantee the rights of British people working in Spain, and the hope is that these rights will be extended to the 9,000 or so Spaniards who cross the border to work in Gibraltar on a daily basis.

This latest decree comes after an earlier one was signed in January of this year to allow UK nationals resident in Spain and Spaniards in the UK to retain the right to vote in local elections, such as the ones which are to be held in this country on 26^th May.

For Britons living in Spain, then, this is a reassuringly positive attitude on the part of the national government: if only there could be more certainty that their counterparts in London will reciprocate with a similar gesture and ensure that the Decree is fully implemented!

Image: Spanish Government

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