Brexit breakthrough puts Britons in EU in bad spot

Bloomberg

The 1.5 million Brits living in Europe face being “landlocked” after Brexit because Friday’s deal doesn’t clarify whether they can move freely between European Union countries after the UK’s departure from the bloc.
The UK and the EU struck a deal to unlock divorce negotiations overnight after months of stalemate. The agreements include a 45 billion-euro ($53 billion) divorce bill, protecting citizens’ rights at home and in the EU, plus promises on the sensitive issue of the Irish border.
But while the deal protects the rights of expat Brits in their host EU member state “it would appear there won’t be new freedom of movement,” according to Liz Barratt, an immigration lawyer at Bindmans in London.
“A UK citizen living in France isn’t going to have the right to move to Italy under European law once the UK leaves.” It’s possible that some other agreement could be reached that would allow this, she says, but the current agreement doesn’t.
The effect of the provision is set to prompt more Britons to seek citizenship where they currently live. “Nearly everybody I know is on course now to take on citizenship,” said Fiona Godfrey, a British national who has lived and worked in Luxembourg for two decades and is co-founder of BRILL— British Immigrants Living in Luxembourg. She will start a course in January to learn the local language and will attempt to acquire dual British-Luxembourgish nationality before Brexit. We thought we had certainty in May,” said Godfrey, who lives with her German husband. “But what we face this morning is a deal which leaves us potentially landlocked in our member state of residence.”
UK Prime Minister Theresa May said the more than 3 million EU citizens in the UK would have their rights set in law and enforced by British courts. However, the European Court of Justice will continue to have a role in overseeing their rights for eight years after Brexit.
For Europeans living in Britain there are also concerns, despite their rights being enshrined in law post-Brexit. The latest agreement sets out plans for citizens to receive new documents that certify their rights to live in a country.
The deal is good news for UK businesses that employ EU nationals, said Edward Wanambwa, an immigration lawyer in London. While the “agreement has only been reached in principle, British businesses already have a far better basis on which to plan ahead in respect of those members of staff,” he said.

Recruiters call for Brexit certainty
Bloomberg

Robust demand for staff in the UK led to more people being placed in permanent jobs and a pickup in pay inflation, according to a report.
IHS Markit and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation said vacancies rose sharply in November and starting salaries for permanent staff continued to climb.
There was also a drop in candidate availability. Skill shortages plaguing sectors such as health care and engineering are being made worse by the departure of EU citizens as Britain prepares to leave the bloc. Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed net migration dropped by a third in the year following the Brexit referendum, with EU nationals shunning Britain accounting for much of the change.
REC Chief Executive Kevin Green urged the government to “create certainty” for European Union workers currently in the UK so that employers can plan ahead.
The need for staff is stronger in the private sector, in both permanent and temporary roles, according to the report.