The United Kingdom left the European Union (EU) on the 31 January 2020.
A transition period is now in place until the end of 2020 which is providing space for the UK and EU negotiate additional arrangements.
The current rules on trade, travel, and business for the UK and EU will continue to apply during the transition period.
Any new rules will are negotiated will take effect on 1 January 2021.
If the negotiations fail, with no extension or cancellation of Article 50 agreed, then the UK will leave the transition period without a deal.
Find the latest official news and advice at www.gov.uk
Barrow Borough Council has been working with other Councils, at a County and regional level, to ensure that we are prepared for the new arrangements.
Leaving the European Union
Leaving the EU has implications for the Borough of Barrow in Furness, its residents, partners and the district as a whole.
See the Brexit on the Local Government Association website for useful guidance on a range of Brexit topics from the Local Government Association, which represents councils across England and Wales, including no deal planning, how businesses can prepare for leaving the EU and EU citizen rights.
See local government Brexit preparedness on GOV.UK for more information on how the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is supporting local authorities in the preparations for leaving the EU.
EU citizens living in the UK
The Council wants to make sure that EU citizens living and working in the Borough of Barrow in Furness know about their rights. If you’re an EU citizen living in the UK, you and your family will be able to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021. If your application is successful, you’ll get either settled or pre-settled status.
Apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (settled and pre-settled status) on GOV.UK. If you’re an EU citizen, you and your family will be able to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021.
Applications can be made now. The Government has announced that there will be no application fee after the UK departs the EU. However, applications received before this date will be charged a fee, though this will be refunded. EU citizens settled in the UK will have until June 2021 to apply for settled status.
In the event of a no deal, the EU Settlement Scheme will still be rolled out as planned. However, the deadline for applications will be the 31 December 2020, which is six months earlier than if there were a Brexit deal agreed with the EU. As we get closer to this date without a deal, this deadline becomes more critical and EU citizens are encouraged to take note.
In the event of no deal, anyone visiting the UK from the EU for less than three months after Brexit would not need to apply for a visa. Anyone arriving from the EU that wanted to stay longer than three months would need to apply for a visa. If successful, the visa would last for up to three years.
See continue to live in the UK after it leaves EU on GOV.UK and complete the easy to use form to find out about continuing to live in the UK after it leaves the EU.
Impact on local businesses
We appreciate that there are still uncertainties about what the business and trade arrangements will be after Brexit and the implications for the Borough of Barrow in Furness. Government departments have information about the potential impact on businesses, what support is out there and proposals for how Brexit should be approached from a business perspective.
Find out what it means to you now the UK has left the EU on GOV.UK for information about how leaving the EU may affect your business or organisation and what you need to do to get ready.
See EU Settlement Scheme: employer toolkit on GOV.UK for information for employers to support EU citizens and their families to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
Other issues
See prepare for Brexit if you live in the UK on GOV.UK for useful advice about visiting, studying and working in Europe, environmental standards, food labelling standards and studying abroad.
Many people have made, or are making travel plans for 2020, and have questions about what might happen now that the UK has left the EU.
See Brexit advice for travellers on the ABTA website for information on how Brexit will affect travel through the EU and what documents you may need.