The Home Affairs Minister, Connétable Len Norman, has approved a proposed change to the law that will allow EU citizens living in Jersey to remain in the island following Brexit.
As Jersey is a Crown Dependency, it is aligned with UK immigration and nationality laws. As such, after Brexit, non-British and Irish citizens will have to apply to remain in the island, as they would in the UK.
The planned amendments to the Jersey immigration rules will launch the Jersey EU Settlement Scheme, which will begin in January 2019. The Settlement Scheme will ensure that EU citizens living in Jersey, and their family members, are able to remain in Jersey after the UK has left the European Union.
Under the Settlement Scheme, EU citizens who do not also possess British or Irish nationality and have been resident in Jersey for more than five years, will be eligible for settled status. EU citizens who have been resident for less than five years will be eligible for pre-settled status and will be able to apply for settled status after five years.
• Applying for settled status won’t affect residential status and housing rights.
• Those EU citizens who have received permanent residency, free of charge in Jersey, will still have to apply to the Jersey EU Settlement Scheme.
• With only limited exceptions, children born in Jersey to EU parents that have been settled in Jersey for more than five years are eligible to apply for British nationality.
The Settlement Scheme is being operated on a cost-recovery basis. There will be an application fee of £25 for adults and £12.50 for children (under 16). These fees are significantly lower than the equivalent being charged under the UK scheme.
• Further information about the Settlement Scheme and the application process is available at www.gov.je/brexit. The scheme will open in January 2019 and applications will be accepted until the end of 2020.