The government is preparing to announce a registration process for the estimated 3 million EU citizens living in the UK, as a first step towards regularising their legal status post-Brexit.



It is understood ministers will unveil plans inviting all EU citizens to officially “register their interest” in acquiring documentation allowing them to live and work in the country after 2019 when Britain is scheduled to leave the European bloc.

The government is hoping the stocktaking exercise will help it understand the scale of the demand for residency applications once Britain leaves the EU and prevent an overwhelming avalanche of applications on Brexit day.

The registration process is expected to be part of a new scheme tailor-made for EU citizens already living in the UK.

It will not be linked to the current and controversial permanent residency process, which requires applicants to submit mountains of paperwork to demonstrate they have a right to remain in the country.

There is no no legal obligation for EU citizens to apply for residency cards, but many have been panicked into applying for the document as they see it as the only way to prove their status after Brexit takes effect.

The new scheme is expected to form part of the wider proposal on EU citizens’ rights, which the Brexit secretary, David Davis, said would be outlined on Monday.



The offer is being described by government sources as “generous” but any deal that fails to match that put on the negotiating table by the EU is likely to get a hostile reception by EU citizens in the UK and British nationals in the EU.

Nicolas Hatton, co-founder of grassroots campaign group the3million, said the government’s protracted position that EU citizens could be “bargaining chips” in Brexit talks and Theresa May’s refusal to offer any details on the Conservative party’s position had fostered deep suspicion among EU citizens.

“If the registration process is not going to entitle them to residency, they won’t do it. People will be sceptical and think it will be used to foul their applications,” he said. “They just won’t bother to register – they will see it as pointless.”

A remain supporter during a demonstration in Parliament Square in March. Photograph: Jack Taylor/Getty Images

Monique Hawkins, a dual British-Dutch national, who made international headlines when her application for permanent residency was refused on technical grounds, also reported mistrust among EU citizens.

She has spent six months working behind the scenes with the3million and the British in Europe, a coalition of groups representing Britons on the continent.

“People don’t trust the UK government. The mood among EU citizens has changed. You can see it on the forums on Facebook. Before it was ‘I hope they let us stay’, but now it’s ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’. People have put up with so much pain in the last year, there is now a general mistrust of the Home Office,” said Hawkins.

Others, however, say they would not have a problem registering.

Dutch GP Sebastian Kalwij, who has lived in London for more than 21 years and who last year expressed his concern about rising xenophobia because of Brexit, said: “As long as the process is simple, online and free of charge, I don’t object.”

Italian Severio Bruno, who runs his own restaurant in Sheffield, said: “If they want to control the number of immigrants coming to the UK, they will need a registration process. I don’t mind registering – I have nothing to hide.”

The Home Office is facing a huge challenge dealing with the rights of EU citizens, with its current permanent residency system widely deemed not fit forpurpose.

Last year the3million told the home secretary that under the current system, it would take 47 years to process applications from EU citizens for permanent residency.

Unlike other European countries, Britain does not operate an ID card system or require EU citizens from other countries to register their presence on arrival.

May’s promised “generous offer” on EU citizens’ rights is not expected to mirror the EU’s proposals exactly.

The EU wants the status quo for all EU citizens affected by Brexit, allowing them to continue to live, reside and move freely throughout Europe for the rest of their lives.

It is feared that Britain’s opening gambit will fall short of the status quo – with conditions attached. These could include a cut-off date set earlier than the EU’s proposed 29 March 2019, and a requirement to have been in Britain for a qualifying period before being eligible to stay.

Sources say the government hopes to have reached a top-level agreement with the EU on citizens’ rights by the end of the summer.