(Southern) Irish citizen living and working in UK

TinCool

I'm sure this has been asked already, but I've not really found a definitive answer to my question.

I've been living and working in the UK for the best part of 10 years. I'm married to a British citizen and have two children. Obviously I want to remain here so what happens to me if Britain vote to leave the EU ? Being Irish I have the right to vote in the leave/stay referendum.

I know there's been special relationships between Ireland and the UK but I doubt this covers my right to stay.

I am thinking I should apply for permanent residency to cover my own a$$ if it were to go t1ts up.

schemingbohemia

Do you really think they're going to kick every non-citizen out of the country if they vote to leave? Or even force them to apply for residency? The country would collapse, the NHS would fall apart.

If they do leave there will be a very very long period where these issues will have to be ironed out.

L1011

It is likely that the existing provisions - that predate EU membership - for Irish people to live, work and vote in the UK will continue in the long term let alone the short term.

Even the most rabid Brexit-er out there, Farage, is known for stating that he doesn't consider Irish people as foreigners and doesn't mean Irish people when wanting "foreigners out".

Carawaystick

How would they deal with all those irish citizens living in the northeast corner of this island?

TinCool

You all raise valid points/questions. No I don't think they're going to kick every non-citizen out. As alluded to by L1011, I'm sure the Common Trade Area - CTA - will still be enforced so nothing will change for Irish/British citizens in similar situations.

Pro Hoc Vice

TinCool wrote: »

You all raise valid points/questions. No I don't think they're going to kick every non-citizen out. As alluded to by L1011, I'm sure the Common Trade Area - CTA - will still be enforced so nothing will change for Irish/British citizens in similar situations.

Also if UK wants to keep free trade as the outs say they do thru have keep free movement as per countries like Norway, which yo keep the free trade still has up to 75% of EU regulations but unlike say Ireland and UK has no say in the rules of EU that Norway now has on its stature books.

If UK happy to exit fine but it will then have the real hard choice if it wants to keep perks it has to keep problems.

coylemj

Even the hardest Brexit campaigners say that nobody who is currently legally in the UK will be asked/force to leave so no citizen of an EU country currently in the UK has anything to worry about.

Also bear in mind that there are hundreds of thousands of elderly people living in GB who were born in the 26 counties, who remain Irish citizens but who have chosen to see out their later years over there because they have grandchildren or other connections in GB and/or no family remaining in Ireland, not one of them has anything to worry about.

The worst that will happen is that passport controls will be introduced for anyone travelling from the island of Ireland to GB. It won't please everyone though I'd pay anything to be behind Sammy Wilson (DUP) in the 'immigration' queue in Heathrow and watch his pained expression as he has to show his passport even though (assuming he's just in from Belfast) he would be technically just off a domestic UK flight.