A FATHER-of-two who has lived in the UK for more than 30 years has told of his shock at finding he has to pay hundreds of pounds to prove his right to stay after Brexit.
Douglas van Henten, who lives with his family in East Kilbride, must pay £250 for a single page document which he needs in order to apply for settled status.
His case is now being taken up by the Scottish Government after it was raised by his MSP, Linda Fabiani, in Parliament last week.
She said van Henten’s predicament was “insulting and concerning”, a view that was shared by Minister for Europe, Ben Macpherson, who said he would raise it with Westminster.
READ MORE: Linda Fabiani: UK’s treatment of EU nationals is an outrage
Van Henten, 37, who is half Scottish, has lived in the UK since he was four-years-old and works as a service administrator for a catering equipment distributor. He has lived in Scotland for the last 12 years with his wife and two children, who were both born here.
He told The National that after the EU referendum, he felt fear because of the uncertainty it cast over his status in the UK.
“Never in a million years did I think the vote would go the way it did,” he said. “When it was a ‘Yes’ vote I did feel fear at first as I am an EU national and there was no certainty for me even though I am married with a British wife and British born children.
“Now I have to apply for settled status which in itself is wrong,” he says. “I don’t understand why I have to apply for something when I have lived here for over 30 years and worked and paid taxes.”
In order to obtain settled status he needs to renew his Dutch passport which he has allowed to expire as his family have been holidaying in the UK only.
“Dutch law prevents me from having dual nationality so I have to prove I am not British to get my passport but that will cost me £250 for a single page document called Non-Acquisition of British Citizenship. It’s farcical,” said van Henten.
Even if he does cough up the money for both the Non-Acquisition of British Citizenship document and a new passport, van Henten pointed out that settled status does not give him any more rights than he has currently.
“I still don’t get to vote in a UK-wide referendum anyway so why give up my right to freedom of movement?” he asked. “It’s actually a big bug bear of mine that EU nationals had absolutely no say in the Brexit referendum. I now have to bear significant costs over and above my legal obligations to pay tax and national Insurance. It’s as if our human rights are not recognised. Scotland is different but across the UK, EU nationals are not treated equally. It seems wholly unfair.”
Van Henten, who voted Yes to Scottish independence in 2014, said he was “very taken aback” that his case had been discussed at Holyrood and was being taken further.
“I’m very impressed,” he says. “MPs generally do not have much interest but the Scottish Government has been very different, Linda Fabiani in particular.”
He added that the “mess” of Brexit made him inclined to vote Yes in a second independence referendum, although he said he felt he would need more information before casting his vote.
Fabiani said van Henten and others like him had the right to live in and contribute to Scotland, saying: “His anomalous situation is insulting and concerning for someone who has lived and worked here for more than 30 years and is raising his family, has a national insurance number and pays taxes here.”
Ben Macpherson, Scotland’s minister for migration, agreed – and said he now intends to raise the case with the UK immigration minister Caroline Nokes.
“It is right that EU citizens who have built their lives here and chosen to make Scotland their home should have all their rights protected,” he said.
“If the UK Government persists in its ambition to remove Scotland from the EU against the will of the Scottish people, it will be vital that those EU citizens who have chosen to make their home here in Scotland are provided through as simple a process as possible with the documentation that they need to evidence their right to continue to live here as they do now.”
He added: “We in the Scottish Government are pressing the UK Government for a fair and managed immigration system that recognises individual circumstances and provides a welcoming environment for new Scots and their families.”
The Home Office was approached for comment.
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