The Quotidian Uncertainty of Britain’s Monumental Shift

The Polish chef who was erroneously denied the right to indefinitely remain in Britain. The Italian partner of a British army veteran whose local member of Parliament had to intervene to secure hers. The Hungarian man who mistakenly accepted a temporary status.

At first blush, these cases demonstrate some of the complications that have emerged as a result of Britain’s ambitious plan to absorb millions of European Union nationals into its immigration system as it leaves the bloc (a move currently set for January 31). But they are also illustrative of the almost quotidian uncertainty that has plagued EU citizens living in the country since the 2016 Brexit referendum, which has thrown into doubt Britain’s future—and their place in it. The scale of this task has largely been sidelined by the litany of other bureaucratic challenges facing the British government as it prepares for its looming Brexit deadline, from bracing for potential supply-chain disruptions (including food and medicine shortages) to maintaining the status quo on the island of Ireland.

Thanks to Britain’s membership in the EU, about 3.5 million non-British Europeans live and work in the country have already applied, and more than a million more are expected to do so by 2021.