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Brexit opponents in London: Long-term EU citizens on the island are allowed to stay
Photo: Alberto Pezzali/AP
Many EU citizens in Great Britain can breathe a sigh of relief: After a ruling by the British High Court of Justice on the residence status of EU citizens, the Home Office has announced that it will not lodge any further appeals.
The court had already ruled in December that the Home Office had acted unlawfully when it had required EU citizens to go through a two-stage process for a permanent residence permit as part of the EU Settlement Scheme agreed by Brexit.
Now the news portal "Politico" reports that the British Home Office will not appeal this decision after all.
"We are working to implement the verdict as soon as possible," the authority said.
The ministry promised to announce more details soon.
The government originally announced that it would appeal the verdict.
"Ticking time bomb" defused according to aid organization
The civil rights organization The3Million, which campaigns for the rights of EU citizens after Brexit, welcomed the decision.
The organization's executive director, Monique Hawkins, spoke of a "ticking time bomb" that had been defused.
The court had argued, among other things, that the regulation on the two-stage verification procedure for EU citizens was not in line with the Brexit Treaty.
According to this, EU citizens already legally living in Great Britain risk their stay if they do not apply for a second permanent residence permit.
The process requires EU citizens who have lived in the UK for less than five years at the time of Brexit to first apply for temporary residency status.
After five years, a new application for a permanent right of residence is required.
The EU Commission had therefore accused the British government of dividing EU citizens into different groups and treating them more strictly than agreed under Brexit regulations.
In February 2022, the British regulation led to upsets at a meeting between EU Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič and then British Foreign Minister Liz Truss.
fek/dpa