Germany latest EU state to let Brit expats stay after no-deal

Berlin has just announced British expats living and working in Germany can stay in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Germany’s Ministry of the Interior has just called on its regional governments to ring-fence the rights of the 100,000 British expats and their families estimated to be living in the country. The appeal will apply in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Officials are now contacting local parliaments and instructing them to make hotlines available to the expat community in order to give advice on applying for permanent residency.

All Britons living in Germany on the day the UK leaves the EU will get a transition period to allow their application for residency to be confirmed. In addition, British pensioners and those on low salaries will also be able to apply for permits to stay. According to German lawmaker Franziska Brantner, all British expats living in the country are in desperate need of legal certainty, as they’re not responsible for Britain’s suicide bid. Socialist Europe Minister Michael Roth also referred to Brexit in derisory terms, calling it an excremental show as well as blasting UK cabinet ministers as over-privileged.

One surprise is that Berlin is also happy to allow Brits to travel to Germany without visas, even in the event of a no-deal result, although permission would need to be approved at EU level by all members. As Spain is still pushing for Gibraltar to become a Spanish colony, it’s possible the country would attempt to engage in horse-trading using British expats’ free movement as a bargaining counter.

All told, EU member states’ positive responses to expats caught up in Brexit has been reassuring, both for the expatriates involved and for those who are considering a move to Europe for work purposes in the future.