TIGA: Two Cheers for the UK Government’s Proposal on EU citizens

TIGA, the network for games developers and digital publishers and the trade association representing the UK games industry, today welcomed the proposal by The Rt Hon Theresa May, Prime Minister, that 3.2 million EU migrants who have lived in the UK for five years could be granted ‘UK settled status’ after Brexit, but said that more details were needed, especially in relation to the cut-off date. The UK PM made the offer yesterday at a EU summit in Brussels.

Under the UK Government’s proposal:

• British courts would rule over the rights held by European citizens;
• those European citizens who have been in the UK for five years before an unspecified cut-off date will be awarded ‘settled status’, with the consequence that they will be treated in the same way as all other UK citizens, receiving healthcare, education, benefits and pensions;
• EU nationals who have been in the UK for less than five years before the cut-off date will have the opportunity to stay until they are eligible for ‘settled status’;
• the offer is dependent on reciprocal rights being granted tor UK citizens living in the EU after Brexit.

 

It is not yet clear whether the UK Government’s offer will extend to spouses and children of EU citizens, but this should be clarified when the Government lays a paper before Parliament on Monday, June 26^th 2017.

Dr Richard Wilson, TIGA CEO, said:

“TIGA has consistently argued that EU citizens living in the UK should be granted a right to remain since last year’s EU referendum. This is the right course of action from a moral, political and economic perspective. Citizens from other EU countries working in the UK make an important contribution to many of our industries, including the video games sector, where they comprise 15 per cent of the workforce. We look forward to seeing further details on the UK Government’s proposals, particularly in relation to the cut-off date. We trust that the issue of the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and the rights of UK citizens living in the EU will be settled speedily, amicably and reasonably.”