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European Economic Area (EEA) nationals (EU nationals plus nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) of all ages face an uncertain future in the UK after Brexit, but for children this uncertainty is already life-changing. For most migrants residing in the UK, their eligibility for leave, rights and restrictions are laid out in the immigration rules – a compendium of the most important pieces of legislation that make up the UK’s byzantine immigration laws. For EEA nationals different rules apply based on the principle of freedom of movement.
Freedom of movement was designed as an economic exercise: products, services and capital may circulate freely, and so too may the producers and service providers – individuals within the labour market. Free movement, in short, was not conceived with children in mind.
