European Union citizens legally resident in the UK should have the same rights as British citizens after Brexit, the UK prime minister has told EU leaders.
“No-one will face a cliff edge,” Theresa May said at a Brussels summit.
A new “UK settled status” will grant those who have spent five years in the UK equal rights on healthcare, education, benefits and pensions.
Guaranteeing EU citizens’ rights is the top priority for the EU delegation negotiating Brexit.
Before Mrs May’s offer, the EU proposed that EU citizens in the UK and the estimated 1.2 million Britons living in EU countries should continue enjoying the same rights, enforceable by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
There are two other thorny issues that have to be resolved early on – the UK’s divorce bill and the Northern Ireland border.
An estimated 3.2 million EU citizens live in the UK and there is much nervousness – some even fear deportation.
