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Brexit In The UK And Italy

Davide Palazzo

October 29, 2019

While the whole world is observing Brexit, there have been countless questions on how Brexit is going to affect ordinary people, there has been an immense number of groups which was formed following the Brexit referendum to start a campaign, to protect the rights as European Union citizens and the EU citizens residing in the UK. Here is a short article relating to the Brexit today and tomorrow.

British nationals in Italy. Italy Brexit

The government in the UK has initiated a major campaign urging UK citizens living in Italy to get ready for Brexit on 31st October. The right to access services in Italy including residency, healthcare, driving license and passport will be duly informed to the British citizens.

This Brexit campaign is said to use social media and other channels to keep the people informed ahead of 31 October. (Facebook and X)

A UK national who is registered as a resident in Italy at the time of Brexit will be able to continue their stay without the requirement of Visa. When Brexit arrives and you are a British national residing in Italy you will retain the right to stay and enjoy the benefits of health care, education etc. More information on www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-italy

Right now, no country is possibly more interested than Italy for analysing any kind of lessons Brexit might have taught to the public in other European Union Countries.

If the UK leaves the Europen Union without a Brexit deal, British nationals who lives in Italy will need to get a new non-EU residence grant before 31 December 2020. If you have lived in Italy for more than 5 years, you will be qualified for a permanent residency permit. If you have been living in Italy for less than 5 years, you will be eligible for a temporary residence permit, which will be valid for 5 years.

When Brexit occurs, You will have to go to your nearest police station in person to get the new residence permit, which will be done before 31st December 2020. If you hold a permanent or temporary EU residentship certificate, it will stay valid until you receive your updated nonEU residency.

Agreement on EU Brexit

Agreement between the UK and the European Union is still pending, hence it is not feasible to anticipate the consequences of Brexit. However, the EU has guaranteed to protect the rights of the British residents in Italy at the time of exit.

If you are returning to live in the UK, your rights to work, healthcare and other services will not change after Brexit. If you and your close family members were residing in Italy before the Brexit, then your family can join you in the UK and apply for a European Union settlement scheme which will be valid till March 2022. If you are an Italian citizen by marriage and lived in the EU before the Brexit you will be able to join your spouse in the UK until December 2020 and will also be suitable to apply for the settlement scheme.

Italians in the UK

Italian citizens living in the United Kingdom have already begun applying for settled status along with many other European Union nationals from various different countries, under a new home office scheme which was introduced ahead of Brexit deadline in October of 2019.

Around 3.8 million European citizens who reside in the UK is uncertain about their future. The home office scheme enables EU citizens to secure their rights in the UK post-Brexit. The data on the progress of the scheme which has been published by the government show more than 750,000 of 3.6 million European citizens in the UK have already applied for the status in May 2019. 99.9 percentage of applications received at the Home office had been approved in less than 5 days.

Brexit today

The UK was due to leave the European Union on 31st October 2019, but the prime minister Borris Johnson requested an extension after the parliament declined to agree with the Brexit deal. The law which is known as the Benn Act requires the prime minister to accept the EU’s extension offer even though he has repeatedly said that the UK would leave with or without a deal on October 31 2019.

To conclude, the government in the UK has announced a grant of up to £3 million for charities and other voluntary companies, to inform the citizens and to support them during this Brexit phase. The Government has also designated around £300,000 to British Embassies and consulates in the Europen Union to inform Britishers who may need assistance, such as people with disabilities, those living in remote areas or aged people who might need additional guidance to complete any paperwork relating to Brexit.

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