LONDON (AP) — Millions of Europeans have freely lived, worked and studied in the U.K. for decades, but Brexit means that those rights are no longer automatically granted. Britain’s government introduced a “settlement” plan for the country’s large European migrant community in 2019, and the deadline for applications is Wednesday. From Thursday, any European migrant who hasn’t applied will lose their legal right to work, rent housing and access some hospital treatments or welfare benefits in the U.K. Campaigners are worried that tens or even hundreds of thousands of Europeans, especially the elderly and children, may not have applied by the deadline. One key concern is that the immigration policy could leave a disastrous legacy that takes years to resolve.
