EU citizens living in the UK have spoken of their disbelief, heartbreak and fear following the leaking of a Home Office document setting out post-Brexit immigration proposals.
Workers in both highly skilled and low-skilled jobs who contacted the Guardian said they now felt they lived in a “hostile environment” with no trust the government would allow them stay in the country beyond Brexit.
Alexandrine Kantor, a French engineer in Oxford, said: “I almost regret coming and settling in the UK. Professionally it was a good move but not on a personal level. If I had known that in the future I would only be allowed to stay for three years I would not have come.”
The tone of the document has left a strong impression with EU citizens that the Home Office cannot even be trusted to secure the lifetime rights of those already settled in the country, despite negotiations in Brussels for a deal.
Dutch GP Sebastian Kalwij, 51, questioned whether he would be able to continue to practise in the long term, even after 22 years in the country, in a system that would favour the British over other Europeans.
“I read the leaked draft document in the Guardian and I just shrugged my shoulders in disbelief. Another half-baked idea from a desperate Brexit team.
“I have a strong sense of solidarity with my fellow Europeans. Why would I be allowed to stay as I work in the NHS, which has its own recruitment crisis, whilst others are not?” he said.
He had considered leaving the country, but decided to stay for family reasons.
Kalwij said he read the Dutch newspapers on a daily basis and “it’s evident that the reputation of the UK is in shatters”. He added: “It’s painful to see the course of self-destruction the present government has chosen.”
Bulgarian Deni Stoqnova, who has a degree in finance, came to Britain two years ago after she fell in love with a Briton. Despite her qualifications, she said racism prevented her getting work and she now worked as a cashier in a shop in Liverpool.
“According to this document they are offering me and people like me residency for a maximum of only two years. What will happen after that? All that is just disgraceful and I feel disgusted.
“My reaction to these immigration proposals is just the feeling of being unwanted. It makes me feel sad. I am worried all the time as I work as so-called of the UK government ‘lower-skilled EU migrants’ because I am a cashier in a shop. We are not considered people.
“Each of us migrants feel that hostile environment right now and we are not considered valuable to this country any more, no matter that we work and do not rely on benefits or help of your government,” she said.
Andrea Blendl, a German PhD researcher in Scotland, who feared she would be deported earlier this year because she had no private health insurance, said the proposals showed the intent to widen the “hostile environment” policy to EU citizens.
“The entire document just adds to the feeling of being unwelcome here,” she said.
Italian wine merchant Guido Cenciotti Alterocca, who is retraining to be a lawyer, said: “It’s like mum and dad are getting divorced, we all lived in dad’s house and now that mum is gone, he wants us to leave too or fill in forms, pay rent and risk being kicked out any time if it suits him.”