UK Government allocates £3 million to support UK Nationals in the EU

6 Mar 2020 02:06 PM

The UK Government has allocated £3 million for charities and organisations to provide practical support for UK nationals living in the EU.

• Charities and organisations that support UK nationals living in the EU have been awarded a share of the funding
• The £3 million fund will assist UK nationals to apply to protect their residency rights
• Residents in Spain, France, Germany, Cyprus, Italy, and several other EU countries will benefit

Charities and organisations will receive government funding to provide practical support for UK nationals living in the EU with their residency applications. This includes potentially at-risk groups such as pensioners and disabled people.

The organisations will each receive government funding to support those who may find it harder to complete all the paperwork required for residency applications. This includes pensioners, disabled people, those living in remote areas or who have mobility difficulties, and those who require help with language translation or interpretation.

One of the beneficiaries of the fund is “Age in Spain” – a charity that helps older British expatriates. They will be working across Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Another example is the armed forces charity, SSAFA, who will continue to support and work closely with British veterans and their families in France, Germany and Cyprus.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said:

These organisations are doing vital work to support UK Nationals in the EU and this funding will help secure their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, so that they are given the security and stability they need.

Now that the UK has left the EU, some UK nationals living in certain EU member states will need to take actions to secure their residency rights, so that they can continue to live and work in their host country as now.

Over 1 million UK nationals live in EU and EFTA countries. Charities and organisations receiving funding from the ‘UK Nationals Support Fund’ include:

• The AIRE Centre
• Age in Spain
• Asociación Babelia
• Cyprus International Financial Services Association
• Franco British Network
• International Organisation for Migration
• SSAFA

This extra assistance will build on the information and support that British Embassies are already providing.

Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, UK nationals living in the EU at the end of the transition period can continue to live and work in their host country.

In many countries, UK nationals will need to register or apply for residency in order to secure their rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. The exact steps they will need to take will vary by country.

As part of the ongoing information campaign, the government is encouraging all UK nationals in the EU to visit the Living in Guide on gov.uk for the country they live in and sign up for tailored alerts to receive the latest information about what actions they may need to take.