Brexit: British residents in Spain 'confused and alarmed' about post-Brexit future

From The Guardian, John Henley on the research of Professor Karen O’Reilly

"For years, the British and Spanish authorities have treated the British community in Spain as “long-term tourists”, O’Reilly said, adding “Neither the UK government, nor the Spanish government, nor the EU are taking proper responsibility for these people. They suffer from a triple absence.”

Many Britons in Spain were not officially registered as Spanish residents, O’Reilly said, partly because different Spanish local authorities have interpreted free movement policies differently. The situation is exacerbated because Spain does not allow dual nationality for Britons.

“Lots of people have just buried their heads in the sand,” O’Reilly said. “It’s not hard to pass under the radar, halfway up a mountain in Spain. There are people here really living on the breadline: pretty much undocumented migrants.

“People are afraid to register because they’re worried they will be told they aren’t legal, that they won’t meet future income requirements, that they will be told to go back to a country they maybe left decades ago and where they have nothing.”

In detail:

Brexit and the British in Spain