British students and younger expats facing a Brexit-induced citizenship dilemma

British expats living and working in the Netherlands are now unsure over the prospect of business post-Brexit.

A new wave of Brexit-related uncertainty has overtaken both British expats now working in the Netherlands and those planning to leave the UK for Dutch cities in the near future. The issue is the total lack of clarity as regards how Britain’s leaving the EU will affect international business performance. As of yet, nothing as regards even the topics of the 2020 negotiations is set in tablets of stone, with the only certainty that of change.

This next year will affect not only existing expat businesses and those employed in international companies, as students studying at Dutch universities also have no idea whether they will eventually be allowed to stay or whether they’ll be forced back to their home countries. Younger expatriates are in an even worse situation, as their prospects as regards building a career in the country now range between slim and impossible.

Many British graduates from European universities move back to the UK at some time, but keep their options open for a return to an EU country when an opportunity occurs.
As things stand, moving back to Europe from the UK in the future will be significantly more difficult. For some, taking Dutch nationality is the answer, but others feel they’re too young to take such a drastic, life-changing step, especially if they’re emotionally close to their families in the UK.

One young British woman who’s now taking Dutch language classes and hopes to sit the Staatsexamen NT2 later this year told the media she’ll not feel secure until she has her European citizenship again. She’s planning to apply for Dutch citizenship in the autumn, and has already lived for four years in the Netherlands, two of which she spent studying at Dutch universities. She now has a Dutch boyfriend and sees the country as a home she couldn’t easily return to without citizenship after leaving for a while.