According to the home secretary, when Brexit officially takes place it will mean that EU citizens will be obliged to answer “simple” online questions if they intend to continue living in the UK.
Home secretary, Sajid Javid stated that this was the government’s way of granting them stay rather than refusing them.
The three “simple” questions will include proof of their ID, criminal record and their residential status in the UK whereby their answers will be compared to government databases. It will also be accessed, for the most part, with smartphones through an app in order to make it accessible and easier for people to complete.
According to the Home Office, the section on their criminal record will focus on serious criminality rather than “parking fines”.
This plan was devised to be compulsory for all EU citizens residing in the UK (along with their family members). Those who have lived in the UK for five years by 2020 will be eligible to receive a “settled status” which would mean that they could live and work in the UK permanently.
This scheme will take place post-Brexit and will also include other European countries such as Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
