UK and Ireland to continue common travel area after Brexit

IMPACT – HIGH

What is the change? Ireland and the U.K. have confirmed that the U.K.-Ireland Common Travel Area will remain, regardless of the outcome of the U.K. Parliament’s Brexit negotiations.

What does the change mean? The CTA will continue to allow Irish and British nationals to travel, live and work in the U.K. and Ireland in the case of a no-deal Brexit. 

• Date of Memorandum of Understanding: May 8.
• Who is impacted: British and Irish nationals working and living in the U.K. and Ireland. British and Irish nationals travelling to and from U.K. and Ireland.
• Impact on business: The deal is good news for companies as the above-mentioned employees will be able to reside, work and study as they currently do under the CTA.

Background: The CTA provides reciprocal rights to Irish citizens and U.K. citizens to travel, study, work and reside in each other’s country on the basis of their passport and without further immigration processing, such as work or residence permit procedures. The memorandum of understanding signed last week noted that the “CTA and associated reciprocal rights and privileges existed long before either Ireland or the UK were members of the European Union” and that “the privileges which Irish and British citizens enjoy (under the CTA) are separate from, and therefore not dependent on, EU citizenship or EU membership.”

Analysis & Comments: The memorandum affirms that Irish and U.K. nationals will continue to enjoy the privileges they have under the CTA, regardless of the Brexit outcome, and ensures that companies will be able to continue employing the affected nationals as before Brexit.

Source: Deloitte LLP. Deloitte LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC303675 and its registered office at 1 New Street Square, London EC4A 3HQ, United Kingdom.