UK citizens living in Malta, France, Luxembourg and Latvia have one more month – until 30 June – to apply to secure their post-Brexit rights. Some 5,300 Britons residing in Malta, have yet to file in the necessary documentation. Nearly 25,500 Britons still have to apply in France, 800 in Latvia and 1,700 in Luxembourg.
Under the terms of the withdrawal agreement, UK citizens who were legally resident in one of the EU’s 27 member states at the end of the transition period on 31 December last year are eligible for permanent residence, protecting their basic rights, as long as they make a formal request to do so.
The majority of EU States, some 14 of them including larger countries such as Germany, Italy and Spain, automatically awarded a new post-Brexit residence status on legally resident Britons, with no risk of losing rights if any administrative deadline is missed. The remainder introduced a requirement through which UK citizens must formally apply for their new residence status.
Malta is one of four countries with the earliest cut-off date. Originally, the Netherlands was also among them, but later extended the deadline by another six months.
Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, Michaela Benson, a professor of public sociology at Lancaster University, said: “that’s only a month to go before a hard deadline, after which a lot of people could lose their right. We urgently need more communication – from the UK, the EU and member states – to get in touch, especially with hard-to-reach, vulnerable UK citizens who risk missing a vital cutoff point.”
Identity Malta had said that it was reaching to all potential beneficiaries who have a valid residence document. The application process to change one’s status is staggered. Applicants are required to personally submit their application by calling at Identity Malta’s Expatriates Unit in Valley Road, Msida while applicants residing in Gozo would need to apply at the eResidence Unit, St. Francis Square, Victoria, Gozo.
via The Guardian / Identity Malta
