The EU can sometimes feel like the cool kids’ table at lunch. Unless you’re already a part of the clique, you’ll find yourself stuck on the fringes, trying to find your way into the friendship group. But, thanks to new rules proposed by the European Commission, things might get a whole lot easier for non-EU folks.
Currently, non-EU nationals have the right to get long-term resident statuses in the bloc after they have legally lived in an EU country for over five years. They are not allowed to leave the said country for more than 6 months or a total of 10 months over those five years. They also need to prove that they have health insurance, a stable financial income, and, sometimes, competent language skills and cultural knowledge.
However, the European Parliament has proposed shortening the number of years required to secure residency from five to three. They also suggested that people should be allowed to combine the periods of time they've lived in different EU states to reach the three-year mark. And, once obtained, they think these residents should be allowed to move to any of the other member nations without work restrictions or further checks. Plus, they said, these individuals’ children would be granted the same status.
Which all sounds pretty exciting, right? But before the proposal becomes a reality, the European governments will need to agree on it. It’s hoped that the new laws will be finalised by February 2024, before the next European Parliament elections take place. Watch this space.
Did you hear you’ll have to pay a fee to visit the EU next year?
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