A year after the referendum and 3 months after the letter triggering Article 50, negotiations have finally actually started. It is right that the first item in the negotiations is about people, the EU27 and the UK both made clear they want the rights of EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in the EU to be one of the first issues to be resolved. (...)
There are many issues this proposal from the government leaves unresolved and I cannot do them all justice in this piece but here are a few concerns. Firstly, as the proposal stands EU nationals will have their rights restricted if they want their spouses or children to join them in the UK, with language tests and income thresholds, as well as the fees that go with it (the current application fees for a spouse to join their partner in the UK is over £5,500) - the UK’s immigration rules (which will be the default post-Brexit) were found to be the least family-friendly of 38 developed nations according to the Migrant Integration Policy index.
