Britons eye ancestry, love to secure post-Brexit rights
Nearly 10 percent of British people have claims to Irish citizenship
From looking up their European ancestry to seeking out a continental soulmate, some Britons are leaving no stone unturned in their bid to keep ties with Europe after the nation’ s vote to leave the union.
So far, nobody knows whether British citizens will face curbs on living and working in the European Union post-Brexit but the uncertainty has led many with as-yet-unfulfilled claims to both British and EU rights to file their paperwork.
The easiest way to obtain an EU passport is through an ancestral link to a country within the bloc and Ireland is the most likely choice for Britons.
About 10 percent of British citizens have claims to Irish citizenship,which can be granted to grandchildren of its citizens.
“Before the referendum, I was thinking about applying for Irish citizenship but I wasn’t going to do it unless we voted to leave because I felt it was dishonest,” journalist Johanna Derry said.
Since the vote, Derry has gathered the documents needed to be placed on the Irish foreign birth registry, opening the way for a full application.
“I feel like I’m European, so in order to stay European, ... it just makes sense,” she said.
Such was the demand for Irish passports in the wake of the June 23 shock vote that Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan pleaded for a slowdown, warning consular offices were under “significant pressure”.
Unearthing family tree
Meanwhile, Germany’s embassy in London said there had been “a spike in information requests regarding German citizenship” immediately after the vote.
More surprisingly, around 400 British Jews whose ancestors were forced to flee Portugal five centuries ago were reported to have applied for citizenship in the southern European country.
Family tree finding website ancestry.co.uk said it had reported a “significant upturn” in people researching their family history following the referendum result.
For those without a genetic claim, love could be the answer.
Britons with EU spouses will retain the right to live and work on the continent under EU law, although the right to citizenship is up to the individual country.
To give matters a helping hand, British students Katy Edelsten and Chloe Cordon have set up a dating site which aims to “match up as many lovely couples as possible, who we hope will fall so madly deeply in love that they can’t help but get hitched”.
The website has attracted thousands of members, and its creators hope to extend the service for concerned Britons living on the continent.
I feel like I’m European, so in order to stay European, ... it just makes sense.”
Johanna Derry, journalist