Brexit: Freedom of movement of people

The UK referendum on continued membership of the EU will take place on 23rd June 2016. One of the key issues is the UK’s intention to limit the free movement of people, one of the EU’s four principal freedoms, together with the free movement of goods, services and capital.

With the island divided by the UK’s only land border, the issue of cross-border mobility is crucial to this region. For cross-border families, workers, students and pensioners currently living with an open internal EU border, the border often presents administrative challenges, most of which can be overcome through reference to EU legislation. The possibility of a UK exit from the EU, however, raises many questions and this briefing papers explores a few of them.

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