When I moved from Ireland to the UK for work in 2008, I followed a strong emigration tradition of family members and fellow countrymen before me. It seems almost quaint now in a time of Brexit panic and uncertainty, but when I packed my bags and moved to Scotland in March 2008, it was a relatively straightforward process. Who’d have thought being members of a shared European Union would make freedom of movement such a positive and unobtrusive thing!
Fast forward to 2019 and one of the few positives to highlight ahead of the March 29th deadline is that the Irish living in the UK are protected by the Common Travel Area (CTA), which preceded the European Union and still allows for free movement between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
So there are 2 clear options now for all Irish immigrants living and working in the UK. We can stay here unobstructed and ride out the wave of uncertainty alongside the rest of the British population. Or we can skip the queue of all the UK residents seeking Irish passports (over 200,000 according to the Guardian in December 2018), and head back home. For all us those planning on moving back, it should be a fairly straightforward process. I’m no expert though, so I would probably recommend using an authoritative resource such as the Irish Citizen’s Information site for all your emigration needs.
For those of us willing to stay, I don’t think anyone can say with any certainty what the next couple of months have in store. People are naturally worried about their money and how the property market will fair throughout the turmoil. Many of us may be in the position as first-time buyers to get on the property ladder for the first time. While no can say with any confidence how Brexit will affect house and flat prices, it is nevertheless worth your while doing the necessary research before making arguably the most important (and costly!) purchase of your life. It may be worth holding off for a couple of months until the market stabilises, but who can really say at the point? The ONS released the House Price Index on the February 13th 2019, showing the percentage change on house prices year on year from before and after the decisive EU Referendum.
Judging by this report, it could be the ideal the time to purchase a property in England or Scotland, or it could just simply be a long-overdue property market correction as some experts are predicting. Who is to know in this chaotic game of Brexit bingo!
Knowing that we will still enjoy free movement as part of the CTA offers a small comfort in these uncertain times. At least we’ll have this relative security net protecting us post March 29th 2019. The outcome of Brexit is still very much up in the air, and we are yet to see how the relationship Britain will have with the EU. No matter what happens, the right amount of appropriate planning will see you through.