How does Brexit affect expats?
1.3 million Britons live and work in Europe, with Spain the biggest draw
- Many have taken advantage of the right to live and work in the continent
- Working in the bloc may become considerably more difficult, bit not for those already there
Updated : 15:42
When Article 50 of the European Union treaty is activated by Britain in the coming weeks, a possible two years of negotiations will begin which could cause considerable uncomfort for those Britons living abroad.
An estimated 1.3 million British people currently live and work in the European Union area, and they could be in for some wholesale changes as the UK makes the transition away from the bloc, but things may not be as disastrous as some have feared.
It's highly unlikely, for example, that those already working in EU countries will be sent back to the UK to apply for papers. More probable is the increased difficulty of those who want to emigrate to work in Europe, but again this depends on what agreements are made post-exit. It's difficult to see Spain slapping a ban on British workers coming in as they form part of important industries such as tourism and education there, for instance.
Europeans working in the UK similarly will not be shipped back the instant the UK leaves Europe. The personal finances of the three million EU nationals living and working in the UK will be affected, but along similar lines to British citizens. The biggest group of Europeans living here are Poles, followed by Irish nationals and then Germans.
Will there be a ban on all EU citizens trying to enter after the departure? Again probably not, as these treaties will have to be negotiated with each country individually, but as Leave campaigners have said, there may well be an "Australian-style points system" based on the qualifications and expertise of the applicant.
The fall in sterling could be good or bad depending on your perspective too. Those working in the EU and getting paid in Euros, but who make frequent trips to the UK could benefit. Those EU nationals living in the UK who send payments back to families in countries with a lower cost of living may suffer.
Retirees may face a difficult time as it is undecided whether state pensions will be uprated annually. Currently theyr're protected but who knows with the new treaties to be negotiated.
Following the vote to leave, the UK government will have to decide whether this will continue or whether UK pensioners living in EU countries should be treated as they are if they retire to Canada, for example, where their pension is frozen.