Nearly 30,000 EU nationals applied to become British citizens in the 12 months after last summer’s Brexit vote – almost double the number of the previous year.
Home Office statistics recently revealed show 28,502 of applications seeking British citizenship between July 2016 and June 2017- up 80% from 15,871 in 2015-16.
The most noticeable changes came from German appplicants, with applications almost tripling.
According to the Home Office report, increases in applications from EU nationals in recent years are “likely to reflect immigration in earlier years while the most recent rise may be partly due to the impact of rule changes and recent events”.
Concern and anxiety since Brexit and the absence of any concrete guarantee to protect the status of EU nationals living in Britain has had an influential role in the massive rise in applications.
The rise in applications from EU nationals has been followed by a fall in the number of people from the rest of the world. A fall of 18% in the last 12 months – from 131,266 to 107,410 was reported in the statistics released today
Meanwhile, ONS figures released on Thursday showed net migration – the difference between those entering and leaving the UK – fell 81,000 to 246,000 in the year to March 2017.
The reason given is that the number of EU citizens who decided to leave the UK increased by 33,000 year-on-year to 122,000 – the highest departure number for nearly a decade. Brexit has clearly had an impact on the number of EU nationals wanting to secure their stay in Britain, whilst simultaneously causing others, including several thousands of Brits, to leave the UK in search of a different life elsewhere. EU nationals have been expressing their discomfort at living in Britain under the current climate.
Many feel hostilities in the UK towards EU nationals have reached a level so unacceptable, that they would rather not live in the UK. Unwelcome and derogatory language have been used against many polish, Romanian, and other EU nationals, since Brexit. Violent attacks purely on the basis of being from the EU have been documented several times, with a few fatalities reportedly stemming from strong anti EU sentiments amongst some in Britain. However, there are many EU nationals living in Britain who do not experience this kind of hateful attacks. Loutish behaviour can be inflicted on anybody from any background, and it is worth noting that the unpleasant experiences some EU nationals have had did not stop so many thousands still applying for citizenship to stay in the UK. Disgruntled EU nationals have told their stories to newspapers and broadcasters, as public commentators denounce tis kind of behaviour.
One EU national recently told her story to THE bbc. Marianne Kaufmann, an EU national with dual French and German citizenship, has lived in the UK for 24 years and recently became a British citizen.
“Had it not been for the fact that my (unmarried) partner is British, and that our daughter, too, is British, I would have liked to leave the UK after the referendum,” she said.
“I felt unwelcome and unwanted.
“As it was, I felt forced to apply for British citizenship, which was tedious, lengthy and difficult, as well as an expensive process.
“Due to my partner’s work there is the possibility that we may need to move abroad for several years, and I was worried that I would lose my permanent residency status.
“Last week I became a British citizen, while keeping my French and German nationality.
“While I am relieved and pleased that my application was successful and proud that I am now a British citizen, I am saddened that it was necessary for me to apply in the first place.”