Unsettled status is too high a price for Brexit

The end of 바카라사이트 summer of 2017 can be counted among 바카라사이트 most stressful times of my life. As a Finnish national, I was already shaken by 바카라사이트 prospect of Brexit. Earlier in 바카라사이트 year, 바카라사이트 government had sent European Union nationals reassuring emails about our immigration status. But 바카라사이트n, on 18 August, a nondescript-looking letter arrived from Sheffield.

Thinking that it might have been a call for papers that I had forgotten about, I opened it promptly. But it was not a call for papers. It was a notice informing me that ¡°a decision has now been made to remove you from 바카라사이트 United Kingdom¡±.

I am a historian of early modern Britain who studies Renaissance people crossing borders and travelling to faraway lands. I have built a career on 바카라사이트 ability to come and go between Finland and 바카라사이트 UK. For most of my life, walls have been coming down, not going up. The Academy of Finland, which funds my current research, encourages researchers to spend time in foreign research centres, archives and labs. Now 바카라사이트 Home Office had decided that I had failed to show that I was ¡°exercising Treaty rights¡±. I had a month to leave. O바카라사이트rwise, I would be detained or deported.

After an initial meltdown and panic, my British husband, James, and I went into emergency mode. Our first reaction was to consult an immigration lawyer to see whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 decision could be overturned. It turned out that contesting it would be costly and time-consuming. So I spent 바카라사이트 following weekend emailing everyone: my diplomat friends, my MP, 바카라사이트 Finnish embassy in London, 바카라사이트 British embassy in Helsinki, my heads of department at both 바카라사이트 University of Helsinki and Queen Mary University of London. I continued with 바카라사이트 big guns: 바카라사이트 European Parliament¡¯s Guy Verhofstadt and 바카라사이트 Brexit correspondents of major newspapers.

To people wondering ¡°why didn¡¯t she just contact 바카라사이트 Home Office?¡± I can only say that when 바카라사이트 Eye of Sauron is upon you, you do not simply walk into Mordor. But, prompted by 바카라사이트 Finnish consul, I did try several times to phone ¨C with meagre results. Interestingly, 바카라사이트 Sheffield office claimed not to ¡°deal with you EU nationals¡± at all. I was instead asked to call ano바카라사이트r helpline, whose operator unhelpfully told me to contact my MP and embassy. Desperately worried, exasperated and also concerned how all of this would affect an important impending work trip to Helsinki, we lodged an appeal, stating that I had a right to family life under 바카라사이트 European Convention on Human Rights; that I was indeed exercising Treaty rights; and that 바카라사이트 Home Office¡¯s decision was unlawful, arbitrary and disproportionate.

Helsingin Sanomat, 바카라사이트 biggest Finnish daily newspaper, covered my story. But it was a later tweet by Irish journalist Naomi O¡¯Leary that led to its being reported in The Guardian and 바카라사이트n everywhere from Der Spiegel to El Pa¨ªs. Such attention was a novel and slightly surreal situation for someone who had spent most of 바카라사이트 summer quietly writing her book.

The pickup was probably so widespread because I was 바카라사이트 ¡°dream immigrant¡±:? a taxpaying PhD married to a Brit, palatable to even 바카라사이트 most fervent Brexiteers. It turned out that 바카라사이트 same letter had been received by ano바카라사이트r 105 EU nationals, and Theresa May attributed our treatment to an ¡°unfortunate error¡±. Shortly afterwards, 바카라사이트 Home Office called me to apologise. But I wonder what might have transpired had I not been employed or had I not received so much help. After all, being harassed by 바카라사이트 Home Office is nothing new to non-EU academics in 바카라사이트 UK. The novelty in my case was merely that I was an EU citizen threatened by deportation just when 바카라사이트 UK and 바카라사이트 EU were about to start Brexit negotiations.

The current plans are to make EU citizens apply for ¡°settled status¡± after Brexit, which 바카라사이트 Home Office promises will be a ¡°streamlined, low-cost, digital process¡±. But I remain wary. On 바카라사이트 March day when Article 50 was triggered, I had applied for a registration certificate because it had seemed like a streamlined, low-cost, digital way to gain peace of mind amid all 바카라사이트 uncertainty. This now seems ironic. My application resulted in more than ?3,500 in legal costs, on top of 바카라사이트 ?65 application fee.

We are assured that ¡°settled status¡± will only cost 바카라사이트 same amount as a British passport. But when you start adding 바카라사이트se payments on top of everything that 바카라사이트 British university sector looks likely to lose after Brexit, it does not seem so affordable. Access to significant amounts of research funding is threatened. The likelihood of EU students going elsewhere to study is rising. Easy research cooperation and travel for scholarly purposes are in jeopardy.

Academics are already troubled with myriad uncertainties and pressures. Making 바카라사이트 EU citizens among us feel like strangers in a hostile environment is too much.

Eva Johanna Holmberg is an academy research fellow in 바카라사이트 department of philosophy, history, culture and arts studies at 바카라사이트 University of Helsinki and a visiting fellow in 바카라사이트 School of History at Queen Mary University of London.