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May unveils offer on EU citizens May unveils offer on EU citizens
(35 minutes later)
EU citizens who have lived in the UK for five years could get equal rights to UK nationals for good, under proposals unveiled by PM Theresa May. About three million EU citizens living in the UK would be allowed to stay after Brexit, Theresa May has proposed.
A new "settled EU" immigration status would grant them rights to stay in the UK and access health, education and other benefits after Brexit. Under the PM's plans a new "settled UK" immigration status would grant EU migrants who had lived in the UK for five years rights to stay and access health, education and other benefits.
But Theresa May said proposals would be adopted only if the same rights were granted to UK citizens in EU states. Proposals were unveiled at a Brussels summit but are dependent on EU states guaranteeing Britons the same rights.
The plans were put forward at a European Council summit in Brussels. The PM said she did not want anyone to have to leave or families to split up.
Mrs May told EU leaders: "No one will face a cliff edge." "No one will face a cliff edge," she said.
She said: "The UK's position represents a fair and serious offer, one aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives and contributing so much to our society.'' "The UK's position represents a fair and serious offer, one aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives and contributing so much to our society.''
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Theresa May had told EU leaders that the UK did not want any current resident to have to leave, nor to split families up. Many EU citizens in the UK, and Britons living abroad, are worried about their status once Brexit happens. The UK's exit deadline is 30 March 2019. Some even fear deportation if their EU rights are not guaranteed.
But Downing Street has not yet specified what "cut off" date will be for new residents, after which the guarantee would no longer apply. It will be no earlier than March 2017, when the UK formally began leaving the EU by issuing the Article 50 notification, and no later than the British departure in March 2019. Arriving at the summit, Mrs May said the UK wanted to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK - and the rights of UK expats in other European countries.
Those arriving after the cut-off date but before March 2019 would have a "grace period" - expected to be two years - to regularise their immigration status, with a view to later seeking settled status. But Downing Street has not yet specified what "cut off" date will be for new residents, after which the guarantee would no longer apply. It will be no earlier than March 2017, when the UK formally began leaving the EU by issuing the Article 50 notification, and no later than March 2019 when it will actually leave.
Both the UK and the rest of the EU say they want to come to an arrangement to secure the status of about 3.2 million EU nationals living in the UK, and 900,000 Britons overseas, but nothing has been decided so far. Those arriving up until the point of departure would have a "grace period" - expected to be two years - to build up the same "UK settled status", she told EU leaders.
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the PM was already on a collision course with her European counterparts over her plan for the rules of the new system to be applied by a British court - Brussels has insisted it must be the European Court of Justice that oversees it.
But she added that the offer was intended to be a symbol that the UK was getting on with Brexit at a time of turmoil at home, in the wake of the general election result which led to Mrs May losing her Commons majority.
Not clear
Our correspondent said the full details would not be unveiled until next Monday, and it was not yet clear if the offer was as generous as that put forward by the EU a month ago. Details on issues such as the rights of EU citizens' relatives abroad and their descendants, were not yet known.
At the summit on Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters she wanted "the widest possible security guarantees for EU citizens" from the Brexit deal.
Both the UK and the rest of the EU say they want to come to an arrangement to secure the status of about 3.2 million EU nationals living in the UK, and 900,000 Britons overseas.
UK opposition parties had urged the government to make a unilateral guarantee to the EU migrants - but ministers have insisted a reciprocal deal is needed to ensure British expats are protected.UK opposition parties had urged the government to make a unilateral guarantee to the EU migrants - but ministers have insisted a reciprocal deal is needed to ensure British expats are protected.