UK citizens already resident in France and those wishing to make the move have cause to celebrate now that the UK and EU have reached agreement on a "large part" of the deal that will lead to the "orderly withdrawal" of the UK, including the rights and guarantees for UK expatriates in France and agreement that the final cut-off date for acquiring those rights is to be 31 December 2020.
Negotiators Michel Barnier and David Davis said the agreement was a "decisive step" in the Brexit process. As a result of the deal, UK citizens arriving in France between Brexit day on 29 March 2019 and the end of the transitional period on 31 December 2020 will enjoy the same rights and guarantees as those who arrive before Brexit. The effects of this welcome clarification have certainly been noticed by us at La Résidence where our customary Spring surge in enquiries has been boosted substantially in the last couple of days since the announcement which we attribute to an increased sense of security for the future on the part of buyers.
The agreement between the UK and the EU provides what Theresa May says is certainty to the 3.2 million EU citizens in the UK that they will be able to carry on living and working in the UK as they have done, with their rights enshrined in UK law and enforced by British courts. UK citizens in the EU, including France of course, will also retain their current rights with what the EU's Jean-Claude Juncker called a cheap and simple administrative procedure. The proposal provides a cut-off date of the end of 2020 for those to be covered by the rules. Babies born after that date to people who have qualified under these rules will be included in the agreement.
Under the plan EU citizens legally resident in the UK and UK citizens in the EU will be able to leave for up to five years before losing the rights they will have as part of the proposed Brexit deal. Healthcare rights will continue as now.
Whatever your views on Brexit, this “decisive step” brings important clarification which we wholeheartedly welcome!
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