Will the EU still chase top talent UK expats after Brexit?

British would-be expats now have a brief period in which they can still emigrate freely to one of the European Union’s 27 states using the Bloc’s free movement legislation.

The transition period starts next week and will continue until the end of this year at the earliest, with a possibility of a further extension or the threat of a no-deal Brexit should negotiations fail. For those not wishing to chance their futures to Boris Johnson, now’s the time to start researching likely destinations within the European Union.

It’s the same story for EU citizens wishing to settle in the UK, although many may now be considering as to whether Britain’s political set-up might make things too hard. There’s been much talk latterly about the impossibility of negotiating an acceptable EU/UK trade deal with just 12 months, thus giving even more insecurity to those would-be expats now in a wait and see mode.

One EU proposal would allow UK citizens post-Brexit visa-free travel within the Shengen area, but the offer is conditional on the UK giving reciprocity to EU citizens. However, experts are inclined to believe Boris will eventually force a no-deal Brexit, at which point all bets would be off. Should this nightmare scenario come to pass, pundits are hoping the EU would toss a lifeline to Brits in Europe, thus allowing them to continue working and living in the countries of their choice.

One positive point is that Oxbridge-educated UK expats are the best of the highly-skilled international bunch and will always be in demand just about anywhere on the planet. The Brexit struggle may well be almost over, but the war for top talent never ends.