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BREXIT

How many Britons in EU acquired post-Brexit residency and how many were refused?

New figures have been released revealing how many Britons living in the EU have acquired post Brexit residency permits, and how many were refused the status.

A scarf shows the British and EU flag.
How many Britons in EU acquired post-Brexit residency and how many were refused? (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)

The numbers were laid out in the latest report by the joint EU/UK Specialised Committee on Citizens’ Rights, which was set up to keep a check on whether the Citizen’s Rights aspect of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement was being properly enforced.

In total some 497,100 Britons in the EU out of an estimated 1.093 million have acquired a post-Brexit residence status – although this doesn’t tell the full story because Britons living in many EU countries have not been obliged to apply for a post Brexit residence permit.

EU countries could choose whether to grant post-Brexit residence status under a constitutive system (applicants had to apply directly to government agencies to be awarded residence status), or a declaratory system (applicants’ rights were not dependent on a government decision).

The numbers show the number of British citizens who applied for post-Brexit residency permits in those countries where it was obligatory to do so, how many were successfully granted it and a number for how many were rejected.

Out of 289,900 Britons living in countries that obliged them to obtain a residence permit some 258, 400 successfully acquired it.

In France it was initially estimated that there were 148,000 Britons who were expected to apply for post-Brexit residency status, but in the end French authorities received over 165,000 applications, as shown in the table below.

Out of these 165,400 applications all but 500 have been concluded with 105,600 being awarded permanent residence, (because they had lived in France longer than 5 years prior to Brexit) and 46,700 non-permanent residence (under 5 years of residence pre-Brexit). The figures also show 3,500 applications were refused, 9,100 were withdrawn and several hundred “incomplete.”

When it comes to the refusals that figure also includes an unknown number of duplicate applications so it is unclear just how many Britons were actually refused residency – anecdotal evidence suggested that a significant number of people made two applications – either in confusion when the application system changed or after waiting for months for a reply.

Campaign groups have previously said they believe the number of people actually refused to be very low and mainly due to having a serious criminal record.

Elsewhere the Swedish Migration Agency received 12,700 applications for post-Brexit residence status before the deadline on December 31st 2021. Of these, 9,900 had been concluded by January 24th 2022, when the European Commission’s report was published.

Of the 9,900 concluded applications, 1,100 were rejected (figures are rounded to the nearest 100 except for numbers below 500). This represents a rejection rate of just over 11 percent. This includes 149 applications which were rejected as being incomplete.

In Denmark around 250 applications were rejected out of 18,100 applications. In Austria there was no data available for the number of refused permits but 8,400 UK residents successfully acquired post-Brexit status.

Table shows the number of applications for post-Brexit residence status in constitutive countries. (Joint report on residence rights)

Jane Golding Chair of the British in Europe campaign group, told The Local: “We don’t know anything about whether the figure given includes people who successfully reapplied at a second attempt.  I would presume not, as people who were refused would appeal, not apply again, so I’m not sure why there would be a second application.  We only know what it says in the table.”

The table shows the outcomes for a new residence status in constitutive systems. (Joint report on residence rights)

Numbers lower than estimates

In most EU countries that implemented a constitutive system the number of applications was similar to the estimated number of British nationals who would apply. However in Belgium only half of the estimated 18,000 British nationals living in the country acquired a post-Brexit residence permit whilst France was the only country that received more applications (165,000) compared to the estimated number of applicants.

“It’s not surprising that France is the outlier,” says Jane Golding. “There is no compulsory registration system in France for EU citizens and it was the only country in which British citizens in the EU were not systematically registered.  

“This accounts for why the estimated numbers might have been wrong and so, as in the UK as regards EU citizens in the UK, there turned out to be more UK citizens in France than estimated.”

As the table below shows, the differences are more marked in declarative countries where Britons were not obliged to apply for a post-Brexit permit. In many countries, like Spain and Italy, they have however been encouraged to apply for a post Brexit residence document.

In Spain, out of an estimated 430,000 British residents only 187,000 have acquired the new document. In Italy the figure is 12,900 out of an estimated 33,800 British residents.

Golding says there are various reasons for the shortfall including a lack of information for British residents in some of these countries, the lack of a hard deadline for applications as well as the fact many may be so well integrated that they were not aware they needed to do anything. Many others may also have applied for citizenship of the country and therefor did not need to apply for the Brexit document.

“For example, Germany used to have over 100,000 UK citizens, but given the large number who have taken dual citizenship, the estimated number is now 85,100,” she said.

In Spain many British residents already had pre-Brexit residence cards and have not been obliged to exchange.

As the table below shows very few residence in declarative countries have been refused the Brexit document apart from in Spain where some 3,400 have been rejected. Again it is unclear whether this figure includes duplicate applications that were later successful.

In Italy only 2 applications have been officially rejected.

In the latest joint UK/EU committee meeting on citizen rights, British representatives raised concerns “relating to evidencing status in declaratory Member States and emphasised the need for clear guidance”. It also raised reports that “UK nationals continue to experience difficulties when seeking to access benefits and services”.  

“The UK also expressed concern at the lack of detail around late residency application policies in constitutive member states,” the statement said.

Member comments

  1. It is also not clear as to whether Austrian figures will reflect Art 50 Angehörige applications from third country national partners/spouses. When I asked the BMI about the potential numbers they were unable to say how many cases they might be.

  2. Pingback: Anonymous
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For members

WORK PERMITS

EXPLAINED: How to apply for a work permit in Denmark as an intern

Want to intern at the elite restaurant Noma, at the architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group, as a vet or as a nurse? Here's what you need to know.

EXPLAINED: How to apply for a work permit in Denmark as an intern

Denmark has a special scheme for foreigners offered work in the country as interns, with different rules for those employed in architecture, healthcare, farming or veterinary jobs, or other sectors such as the natural sciences, technical fields, the pharmaceutical sector, or culture.

As an intern, you can get a permit to work in Denmark and a residency permit without having to earn any salary whatsoever, let alone secure the generous pay levels required to qualify for the Pay Limit Scheme. 

But you do have to meet the conditions put in place, to prevent unscrupulous employers using the internship permit to bring low cost labour to the country. 

You can find an English language guide to internships on the website of the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (Siri). 

READ ALSO: Danish work permit agency changes practice for hotel and restaurant interns

Who is eligible to get a work permit as an intern? 

You need to be between the ages of 18 and 35 (or 18 and 30 for some sectors), and you normally need to be studying a relevant subject in your home country or current country of residence .

In some cases you can already have recently graduated and in some cases you can be studying a subject not related to the internship, but if this is the case you need to show that you have passed a semester’s worth of courses in a relevant subject. 

If your internship is unpaid, you normally need to show that you have at least 6,820 kroner a month to support yourself over the period.

If your internship is paid, your salary must be at least 6,820 kroner per month, which has to be stated in the standard contract, and paid into a Danish bank account in a bank operating legally in Denmark.

Be aware that opening a Danish bank account can be difficult, with applicants normally needing to have a Danish address and CPR personal number. If you are having trouble you can apply for a basic payments account.

What qualifications do I need to show or paperwork do I need to provide? 

The rules are different depending on which sector you intend to carry out your internship in. 

Agricultural, horticulture, forestry or veterinary 

If you plan to intern in the agricultural, horticulture, forestry or veterinary sectors, you need to show that you have passed a language test in English, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian or German at the A2 level or higher, in Common European Framework of Reference for Languages scale.

This is a very basic level, described in the CEFR as enough to communicate “very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment”. 

For English language tests offered by IELTS, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) accepts test scores from 3.0, and for English tests from TOEFL, scores at Studieprøven level (C1 CEFR level). You will need to send the results certificate along with your application. 

To qualify for an internship in these sectors you also need to be studying a relevant subject in your home country, or the country where you have residency, and the internship also needs to be timed to coincide with where you are in the course, for instance as a practical element following more theoretical ones. 

“We compare the content of your educational programme with the job tasks which you will be carrying out during the internship,” Siri writes in its guide to internships. 

You cannot be more than 30 years old for an internship in these sectors. 

Interns in these sectors do not need to provide proof that they can support themselves. 

Healthcare 

There are no language requirements for an internship in the healthcare sector, and for medical interns there is no upper age limit (although an age limit of 35 applies for other healthcare interns). 

The internship must be related to the educational programme you are studying in your home or another country, and you need to submit an authorised translation of the list of courses you have studied, along with your application. 

You can receive an internship in healthcare even if your studies have recently been completed, but you must show that the internship is a continuation of your studies and relevant to the future role you intend to take on. 

If you have completed your studies, you should include documentation of any work experience you have had since completing your studies. 

If your internship is unpaid, you need to show that you have at least 6,820 kroner a month to support yourself over the period, which you can document with a bank statement or a copy of a scholarship certificate. It is not enough for someone else, such as a parent, to say they will support you. 

Architecture 

To be eligible for a work permit in the architecture sector, you cannot have completed your education and cannot be more than 35 years old. 

The internship must be related to the educational programme you are studying in your home or another country, and you need to submit an authorised translation of the list of courses you have studied, along with your application. 

If your internship is unpaid, you also need to show that you have at least 6,820 kroner a month to support yourself, which you can document with a bank statement or a copy of a scholarship certificate. It is not enough for someone else, such as a parent, to say they will support you. 

Which employers are eligible to take interns?

Employers need to be approved to take interns, either through a prior praktikpladsgodkendelse, or “place of internship approval”, or through sending detailed documentation to Siri on what the internship will consist of, including details of who will be supervising the intern, and prior experience the firm has with taking on interns or trainees. 

All public hospitals in Denmark are approved as places of internship.

If you are planning on interning at a Danish architecture firm, the firm must use the standard “Internship Agreement and Guidelines” issued by DANSKE ARK, the Danish association of Architectural Firms, and the Danish Union of Architects and Designers.

Architecture firms do not need to receive a separate praktikpladsgodkendelse but when filling in the standard contract, need to state the number of fully-trained architects and number of interns working at the firm. 

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