On Thursday 17 October EuroCitizens is organising a round table on the impact of moving from EU citizens to third-country national status. At our group meetings we have dealt with most of the ins and outs of this transition, including issues like registration during the grace period provided by Royal Decree 5/2019 for both temporary and long-term residents. Now we will be looking at what this change of status means for us and what rights we stand to lose. We will also examine what alternatives there are to Spanish long-term residence (residencia de larga duración).
One is long-term residence UE (residencia de larga duración-UE) which increases your chances of intra-EU mobility, though to acquire it you need to show stable resources over a period of time. Quite a few Britons have Spanish or other EU spouses or registered partners so, for them, there is the possibility of getting EU family member status. This is more favourable as you will remain under the 'régimen de libre circulación UE' instead of the 'régimen general'. The last option is Spanish nationality. This is open to people with more than ten years residence or, for Britons with Spanish spouses, one year. You must also pass the Instituto Cervantes exams on culture (CCSE) and language (DELE) and put a series of document (this can now be done online if you have an electronic signature).
The first participant in the round table will be Sarah-Jane Morris, HM Consul for Madrid and Levante. Over the last three years Sarah-Jane has acquired vital know-how related to Brexit-related issues for Britons in Spain. Margaret Hauschild is a EuroCitizen and immigration lawyer who answers members' queries regularly in our meetings - and who is involved in the daily nitty-gritty of residence and nationality applications John Richards is a EuroCitizens committee member who has been involved in talks with the Spanish govt on the Royal Decree and its implementation. John was trained as a barrister and is a former top EU official.
