Brexit: What Just Happened?

I usually try to start off my posts with a joke but on this subject I’ve got nothing: Brexit.

Confused Man by Kapa65 [CC0 1.0] via Pixabay

Before I start, I want to point out that this post isn’t about judging or shaming people for how they voted; it’s not about moaning; and it’s definitely not about you (or my) political views. This post is for the large number of European students currently studying at the University of Glasgow who might be looking at the future through uncertain eyes. A few weeks ago, I contacted International Student Support to find out whether we could shed some light on our Brexit situation and this post is the result.

The Government’s Stance

Westminster Palace by Diliff [CC BY-SA 2.5] via Wikimedia Commons

If you are feeling confused about the implications of Brexit, you’re not alone. That’s because, to date, the Government has only released information about what they intend to bring to the negotiation table and no hard decisions have been made.

Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU is an outline of what the Government intends to offer the EU in terms of free movement of EU citizens in the UK, providing that the EU makes a reciprocal offer along the same lines. Amongst other things, the document states that the Government will create a new ‘settled status’ for EU nationals who arrived before a (non-specified) cut-off period.
Status of EU citizens in the UK: what you need to know sets out the Government’s offer to EU citizens living in the UK. It provides information on applying for residence in the UK and the associated timelines for applications.

The University’s Stance

The University of Glasgow by Michael D Beckwith [CC0 1.0] via Flickr

The University has it’s own dedicated web space for students, prospective students and staff to keep up to date with how Brexit might affect their residency status. It also covers Erasmus+ trips to and from Glasgow, so if you are a home student wondering how Brexit will affect your Erasmus exchange, you can find out here. It’s also worth noting that the University is quite clear on its anti-Brexit stance: our very own Principal and Vice Chancellor—Sir Anton Muscatelli—chairs the First Minister’s Standing Council on Europe which was set up to advise the Scottish Government following last year’s vote.

A Wider View

Universities UK recently published their Brexit FAQ designed to help current students and universities navigate a post-Brexit Britain. It has information on the immigration status of students, fees, loans & grants, as well as the Erasmus+ project.

Free Movement, a blog dedicated to providing updates, commentary and advice on UK immigration and asylum law, has an entire section devoted to Free Movement within the EU. The blog is a great resource for keeping up to date with what’s happening on the Brexit front: it has over 300,000 monthly page views and 14,000 email subscribers, making it one of the leading sources of independent information.

The Guardian’s International Students section also has some useful commentaries and advice for EU students studying in the UK. The site is updated regularly with in-house content as well as blog posts written by students that provide a perspective on Brexit that is often not reported in the media (see ‘They tell me not to speak Polish’: students on life after the Brexit vote).

You might be wondering why it took me a few weeks to write this post after speaking with International Student Support. It’s not because I’m lazy, I promise. The Guardian was holding an interactive Brexit Live Chat on the 26th July. It was taking place in the comments section of their Student Page and my initial plan was to take part and report back here. However, on the day, I found myself in the embarrassing position of not being able to find the chat (or any reference to it on the Guardian website). Apparently that’s just the kind of rubbish journalist I am!

I did intend to write the post up without mentioning the live chat but I came across this today from The UK Council for International Student Affairs.It states that the live chat was cancelled and serves as conclusive proof that I’m not a complete failure. Keep an eye on their news section for updates on rescheduling this event.

Are you worried about your future in the UK after the Brexit vote? Do you have any resources you have found useful? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter—let’s keep the conversation going.

Feature Image: Brexit Britain by Pexels [CC0 1.0] via Pexels