NORWICH, England — Theresa May’s intention was to create “reassurance and certainty” for the 3.2 million EU citizens living in the U.K. while providing a goodwill boost for the Brexit talks — instead, many of those directly affected saw it as a callous betrayal.

The British prime minister has been saying for months that her government wants to guarantee the status of EU citizens living in the U.K. after Brexit in exchange for similar assurances from across the Channel. This week, as she outlined her “fair and serious” offer to EU leaders at the European Council summit in Brussels — an offer to grant EU citizen who have lived in the U.K. for five years "settled status" after Britain leaves the bloc — EU leaders responded with a distinctly sniffy verdict.

“Below our expectations,” was European Council President Donald Tusk’s take. “Not sufficient,” said Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. “It was not a breakthrough,” dead-panned German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Those might be dismissed as the words of canny political operators in negotiation mode, but the reaction from groups representing EU citizens in the U.K. has been far less measured. The 3Million, a support and pressure group, called May’s offer a “slap in the face.”

Maike Bohn, the group’s co-founder, warned that settled status would put EU citizens at the mercy of Britain's "Byzantine" immigration law, subject to change "at the drop of a hat." She condemned May’s offer as "neither fair, nor serious, nor generous."

In the first quarter of 2017, 13,000 Poles applied for permanent residency, compared to only 2,500 in the second quarter of 2016.

The prime minister’s attempt to sell the offer as a way to keep families together also did not go down well. “How callous do you have to be to dress up [her] offer on not deporting family members as a 'generous' offer on EU nationals,” the group tweeted.

The allegation that May was the only cabinet member in the wake of the Brexit vote to block a move by then Prime Minister David Cameron to make a unilateral offer on citizens’ rights has not helped the charm offensive either. May said Friday that was “not my recollection” of events.

Questions of a cut-off date for eligibility and how rights will be enforced have also caused disagreements with the EU27, and will have to be thrashed out in the negotiations.

Worries and questions

The largest nationality affected by May’s offer are the 980,000 Polish people living in the U.K., the vast majority of whom moved there after Poland joined the EU in 2004. They make up the biggest ethnic minority and Polish is the second most spoken language after English.

About 95 percent of Poles in the U.K. are economically active, according to Barbara Drozdowicz from the East European Resource Center, a group offering legal advice to migrants in the U.K. And up until now, Poles like other EU citizens could live and work in the U.K. freely.

Many Poles have been deeply concerned they will be left in immigration limbo by the Brexit process — perhaps forced to decamp from settled jobs, homes and family lives in the U.K. and return to Poland. And while some POLITICO spoke to were reassured by May’s offer, many still have grave worries and questions.

Joanna Bagniewska, a 32-year-old Polish zoologist currently teaching at Reading University in southern England, has lived in the U.K. for more than 10 years, completing a PhD at the University of Oxford and then teaching. Her daughter is a British citizen. But Bagniewska herself doesn't meet the criteria for getting a permanent residency (PR) card, which would guarantee her right to keep living and working in Britain after it leaves the bloc.

“Between 2004 and 2011, post-accession [to the EU], Poles did not need a work permit to work in the U.K., they just needed to join the Home Office's workers registration scheme,” Drozdowicz said. “But now it's impossible to confirm you registered back then as a worker because that department in the Home Office no longer exists.”

The Polish embassy in the U.K. encourages Poles to get PR cards or British citizenship if they qualify. To do so, they need to prove they've been residing legally in the U.K. for five years, as workers, self-employed, job-seekers, students or self-supporting.

According to the Polish embassy in London, in the first quarter of 2017, 13,000 Poles applied for PR, compared to only 2,500 in the second quarter of 2016. That's a significant increase but the number is still a tiny proportion.

One reason for the low application rate is the intimidating 85-page application form and the burden of evidence — anything from electricity bills to letters from doctors or school records — that can be required depending on the case.

“I've got a doctorate for god's sake and I don't find this a straightforward process at all, I think many are having trouble,” said Bagniewska.

Up to 30 percent of PR applications have been rejected this year, according to the Polish embassy, which might be a further deterrent.

Lost documents

Poles also complain that, to prove they are eligible, they are being asked to submit documents that they had been repeatedly told they do not need. That’s why many are worried that they might not be able to gain May’s proposed “settled status” even if they qualify. The details of how the U.K. government will ask people to prove they have been living in the country are due to be published Monday.

Bagniewska says she cannot apply for PR because she spent most of her years in the U.K. as a graduate student and only recently discovered that she should have held private medical insurance throughout those years.

Most people in the U.K., including students, can use National Health Service for free, so getting private medical insurance did not cross Bagniewska's mind.

She had been keen to apply for British citizenship. “But then during the 2015 general election campaign Poles and other foreigners were used as scapegoats and I suddenly felt this is not something I necessarily wanted to sign up to,” she said.

Her compatriot Eliza Abernathy, a 27-year old marketing manager from Birmingham, moved to the U.K. in 2011 to study and stayed on because she received good job offers. She says she did have the required medical insurance while she was a student (the EU-wide European Health Insurance card) but, like many others, no longer has the documentation.

She has applied for permanent residency anyway in the hope the British government will be flexible. “If the Home Office comes back and says they will only count the five years from the moment I started working, I'm just going to say that's enough and leave,” said Abernathy, who is considering moving to Canada.

“I work and pay taxes here, I'll be even doing jury duty soon. I'm doing everything I'm expected to as a citizen, so that would be really unfair not to get the permit.”

Polish shop owners Barbara and Greg Komada were not surprised at May's offer on citizens' rights. The couple came to Britain 11 years ago and have built their business, which employs six Poles, from scratch in Norwich in Eastern England.

"We laughed," said Greg, 43. "We knew they would announce something like this. The U.K. needs people to grow its enterprises and the people who come here from Poland want work."

The pair, whose children were born in Britain, said they have felt disappointed and uncomfortable since the Brexit vote and know local families who have since returned to Poland.

"We feel unwanted and when you don't know what is going to happen you have no security," said Barbara, 38.

Not everyone is concerned though. Fellow Norwich residents Agnieszka and Dawid Broda, who have been in the U.K. for 10 years, have not yet felt the need to pursue permanent residency status or British citizenship to help them stay after Brexit.

"We pay taxes, we are good citizens — we are not afraid that the government will take this away. We are calm about it," said Dawid, 40, who works as a chef at a Norwich restaurant. Agnieszka, 41, added that she is happy with May's stance and expected other Poles would be too.

The Polish ministry of development had estimated earlier this year that up to 200,000 Poles from U.K. could return on account of Brexit, partly because of the uncertainty and xenophobia unleashed by the referendum last June.

As yet, that doesn’t appear to be happening (although it does seem that the U.K. is becoming less attractive to new arrivals). Data from the Polish central statistical office showed that only 3,300 Poles returned from the U.K. last year. But for the first time, more Poles returned to Poland than left, because economic conditions back home are improving — combined with Brexit uncertainty, that might make the U.K. less appealing.

"We feel unwanted and when you don't know what is going to happen you have no security" — Barbara Komada, polish shop owner

The nationalist Law and Justice government in Poland has been courting its expats abroad, with officials pointing to low unemployment levels and direct payments for families with at least two children as incentives.

“We are introducing changes that will make Poland a better country. We are also introducing changes which — I hope — will encourage a return for many of you,” Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło told Poles in the U.K. during a visit last November. “I can assure you that the Polish state will receive you with open arms.”

Lost influence

In November last year, in a diplomatic charm offensive meant to ensure Poland's support during the negotiations, May hosted a special summit for Szydło and other Polish ministers in London. As a traditional ally, the hope was that Poland could help the U.K. secure a better Brexit deal.

"We respect the decision of the British nation [to exit the EU], but with a heavy heart,' Polish ambassador to the U.K. Arkady Rzegocki told POLITICO.

"We should avoid punishing Britain for this democratic decision and ensure that Britain will continue to be a key partner to the EU and Poland in many fields," Rzegocki said, while stressing that Poland would act as part of the EU27.

In reality, since last fall, Poland's clout in Brussels has diminished significantly. The Polish government has gained pariah status because of its attacks on the rule of law and its refusal to accept refugees under the EU relocation scheme.

This loss of influence also means Poles in the U.K. are less sure their government can effectively stand up for their interests. “Polish politicians have been here in the U.K. and pushed for our rights, but Poland's position in the EU is weaker nowadays,” said Joanna Młudzińska, vice-chair of the Polish Social and Cultural Association, a major organization representing Poles in Britain.

Bagniewska, the zoologist, has an additional reason not to expect too much from the government of her native land.

“Since the government changed in Poland, I really feel like the earth has slipped from under my feet," she said. "I don't like what's going on in Poland now. If some years ago I felt like I can always go back to Poland if need be, now with the new Polish government and Brexit I feel like I've been left without a country.”