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Settled status

(29 Posts)
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Greta Sun 21-Jul-19 11:25:21

I have lived happily in this country for many years but now I feel like a second-class citizen.
Background:
I was born in Sweden and arrived in the UK in 1971; I had a job, supported myself and payed tax and NI. I have lived here ever since. I married a Brit in 1975.

When it was decided that all secondary school children should study foreign languages we discovered that there was a snag: we did not have enough 'home-grown' teachers who could deliver this language teaching. I thought I could make a contribution since I had a degree in German. I was offered a teaching post in a local secondary school where I taught for many years.

In 1975 I had a letter from the Home Office: ”You are free now to remain permanently in the United Kingdom”.

During the referendum Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Priti Patel made the following pledge on behalf of the Leave campaign: ”There will be no change for EU citizens already lawfully in residence in the UK. These EU citizens will automatically be granted indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom”.

So why do I now have to apply for the right to remain in the UK? Surely, as a democracy we keep our promises.

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Urmstongran Mon 22-Jul-19 08:47:24

Greta could you perhaps contact your MP and get him/her involved? x

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silverlining48 Mon 22-Jul-19 09:02:33

Is it the difference that in mainland Europe everyone has an identity card. If they move areas they have to register by law at the local police station or suchlike.
We rely on passports only and not everyone has one.
There was some talk about ID cards a while ago but it wasn’t taken further.
I wish you well Greta, and hope all goes through without too much stress and inconvenience. Definitely contact your MP.

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Greta Mon 22-Jul-19 10:10:45

Thank you all for being so understanding. I will write to my MP and ask her to explain the ins and outs of the settled status scheme, not the actual initial registration but future implications when passports expire. I think this decision to register all EU nationals in one go in such a short time was ill conceived and rushed. It reminds me of the situation with women and their pensions. Decisions made in haste and not fully communicated are by definition flawed.

Good news: I am not losing any sleep over this. I have the support of family and friends and I am still able to voice my opinion and seek clarification. Others are not so lucky.
Another piece of good news: we have just had documents from Sweden that confirm that my two young grandsons have been registered as Swedish citizens. They now have dual citizenship and that may one day be very useful to them.

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