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Comment by cmdkeen | Hacker News Reader

There are also all sorts of legal barriers to kicking out people who have been in the UK for any length of time. It simply isn't the case that there are going to be millions of people forced to leave. Future immigration policy will need to be decided - I can't see a scenario in which talented Europeans who want to work in the UK are going to be turned away.

More interesting will be what happens to tech immigration from the rest of world. It is entirely possible that we end up with easier immigration to/from North America as a result.

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Home Office already brakes the EU law on immigration, and I have absolutely no doubts that it will brake it further.

The example I have in mind is that Home Office requires that EU citizens who are in education or self employed should have Private Comprehensive Health Insurance to have right to permanent residence in the UK, despite the fact that such requirement is literally illegal in EU. The law states clearly that if you lived somewhere for 5 years, you have the right to permanent residence in that country - but Home Office will ask you for proof that you had comprehensive health insurance as a student for example, before issuing the Right To Permanent Residence permit. So people like me, who lived here for 7 years now, and were in university for 4, are fucked, because all the time spent here does not count towards the 5 year minimum requirement for permanent residence(and of course no one at uni told us we needed private health insurance - we were told to register with NHS and could use NHS like any EU citizen without any limits). I live here, I pay my taxes, I'm starting a family, want to buy a house soon - and then I ask myself, why the hell would I, if I can literally get kicked out in 2 years because someone decides not to give me a visa.

I would have never considered leaving UK otherwise, this is my home now, but it looks like I will have to at least consider my options now.

The immigration status of EU citizens resident in the UK is one of the only strong cards the UK has in the Brexit negotiations.

The UK may well threaten the EU with mass deportations, especially since the Brexiters running the UK don't give two shits about the status of UK expats in the EU.

While I don't consider deportations likely, when there are stronger forces at play (e.g. economic security of the UK) then all sorts of "barriers" have a tendency to disappear.

> There are also all sorts of legal barriers to kicking out people who have been in the UK for any length of time.

Such as? I don't believe that there are.

There are arguments the Vienna Convention has created acquired rights, and the ECHR's right to a private and family life. There's also the ability to apply for permanent residence if you've been in the UK for more than 5 years.

This is all being predicated on a more specific settlement not being reached with the EU. Given the UK says it wants one that shouldn't be a problem and may well turn into the UK making a unilateral grant of residence even if the EU decides to play hardball.

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