By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON (AA) – The EU citizens living in the U.K. will have the same rights as British citizens after the Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May told the parliament Monday.
The EU citizens who have held five years of continual residence in the U.K. at a cut off point, which is still to be determined, will be treated as they are U.K. citizens in terms of healthcare, education, benefits and pensions, according to government plans set out in a document published Monday.
Any EU citizens who have less than five years of residency before the cut off date will also be able to remain in the country until they have five years’ residence and then can apply for settled status, according to the offer.
However, the U.K. government rejected the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over EU citizens’ rights after Brexit. The EU has insisted the rights will be under the court’s jurisdiction.
The new EU “settled status” residence document will be an identity card to be issued by Home Office, according to the policy paper published Monday.
“The Government undertakes to treat EU citizens in the UK... in the expectation that the EU will offer reciprocal treatment for UK nationals resident in its member states,” the paper said.
The cut-off date will be determined through talks with the EU, but it will be no earlier than 29 March 2017, the date the U.K. triggered official exit negotiations, and no later than 29 March 2019, the date the UK is expected to leave the EU.
The U.K. “will discuss similar arrangements with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States) on a reciprocal basis,” according to the document.
Prime Minister May told the EU leaders at a Brussels summit last week that Britain would table a “generous” offer to the EU citizens who are currently living in the U.K. She said she would ask for reciprocity for Britons living in the 27 member states of the bloc.
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said May’s offer was not a fair one and EU nationals were being treated as bargaining chips in Brexit negotiations.
There are approximately 3.2 million EU citizens currently living in the U.K. and more than 1 million Britons live in EU member states.