Image copyright AFP Image caption European Council President Donald Tusk and Theresa May held bilateral talks at the Brussels summit

EU citizens legally resident in the UK should have the same rights as British citizens after Brexit, the UK prime minister has told EU leaders.

"No-one will face a cliff edge," Theresa May said at a Brussels summit.

A new "UK settled status" will grant those who have spent five years in the UK equal rights on healthcare, education, benefits and pensions.

Guaranteeing EU citizens' rights is the top priority for the EU delegation negotiating Brexit.

Before Mrs May's offer, the EU proposed that EU citizens in the UK and the estimated 1.2 million Britons living in EU countries should continue enjoying the same rights, enforceable by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

There are two other thorny issues that have to be resolved early on - the UK's divorce bill and the Northern Ireland border.

An estimated 3.2 million EU citizens live in the UK and there is much nervousness - some even fear deportation.

Mrs May sought to reassure the UK's 27 EU partners, saying the UK "does not want anyone here to have to leave, nor does it want families to be split up".

Her offer brought a cautious response.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel described it as "a good start" but said many other issues around Brexit still had to be resolved.

A senior EU official told the BBC that when the full details of the UK proposal were published on Monday, they would go through them "line by line".

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Leaders of the 28 member states have plenty to discuss during the two-day summit, Elaine Jung explains

Mrs May's Brexit statement took up little of the summit's time. There was no debate as the EU is anxious to avoid any splits emerging.

The UK election has left Mrs May seriously weakened, heading a minority government, which has fuelled uncertainty about the whole Brexit process.

The UK's exit deadline is 30 March 2019. A cut-off date for obtaining "UK settled status" is yet to be announced.

Questions remain: Chris Morris, BBC News, Brussels

Both sides would like to get the issue of citizens' rights wrapped up as soon as possible - it would be good for morale to get an early win, and they have more difficult issues to tackle.

But while there is a sense that progress can be made, there are still some tricky technical questions to deal with.

Which rights will be extended to immediate family members living elsewhere - to children in particular? And who will guarantee citizens' rights in the event of any legal dispute? The EU has already insisted that the European Court of Justice should be involved; the UK insists that British courts should uphold the deal.

It is also not clear what the cut-off date should be for citizens to qualify for any offer that is agreed. The UK proposal suggests a date between March 2017 and March 2019 - although it is highly unlikely that the EU would be willing to accept a date that has already passed.

From an EU perspective, what we've heard so far from the UK side remains rather vague. EU negotiators will want to see the details of this proposal which are only due to be made public next Monday.

EU citizens who settle in the UK before Brexit will get a grace period to reach the five-year minimum for residency - but only if they arrive before the cut-off date.

The UK is anxious to start negotiating a new trade deal soon, but the EU has already won the argument that its Brexit priorities must be addressed first.

As the summit got under way, European Council President Donald Tusk emphasised that the door to the UK staying in the EU was still open. Quoting John Lennon's Imagine, he said: "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Donald Tusk: Dreaming of a Brexit 'miracle'

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that as an Anglophile, "I hate Brexit from every angle."

"It is crucially important we know what Britain wants from Brexit," he warned. The Netherlands is one of the UK's closest EU allies, with a similar stance on free trade.

Mrs May has vowed to take the UK out of both the EU single market and the customs union. But there are many voices - including in her Conservative Party - pressing for a softer approach.

"I hope we'll come to some form of continued [UK] membership or relationship with the internal market," Mr Rutte said. "I absolutely believe the UK will be hit in the economy and the pound very hard."

Counter-terrorism has also been a key issue at the summit which comes in the wake of an attack in Brussels on Tuesday.

Several EU states have been attacked in recent weeks, including the UK, France and Sweden, and Mrs May said that an attack against any member state was an attack on all.

The 28 leaders agreed to put legal pressure on internet giants like Google, Twitter and Facebook to remove jihadist content faster and more proactively.

Mr Tusk said the bloc was calling on social media companies to do whatever was necessary to prevent the spread of terrorist material and was prepared to pass new legislation. "This means developing new tools to detect and remove material automatically," he said.

The EU wants the industry to help tackle the problem of attackers slipping under the radar by using apps with end-to-end encryption.</s>Theresa May has outlined her plans for the three million EU nationals living in the UK announcing that European citizens living in UK for five years could get "settled EU status".

The Conservative MP made a "fair and serious offer" to EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday (22 June) pledging that all those who arrived in the UK before she triggered Article 50 in March will be allowed to stay permanently.

The EU nationals will be treated like British citizens with the new immigration status granting them access to health, education and other benefits.

May also said it was important that the rights were reciprocated to the estimated 900,000 UK citizens living abroad.

Striking a softer tone May said that she did not want to "break up families" in a reference to foreign spouses and children of EU nationals who live abroad being allowed to come to the UK.

The plans were outlined at a European Council summit in Brussels and included that citizens arriving after an unspecified cut-off date but before the actual date that the UK leaves the EU in March 2019 would have a "grace period" where they must regularise their immigration status.

May affirmed that anyone arriving before the cut-off date will entitled to stay permanently, if they remain in Great Britain for at least five years under settled status.

But the EU have asked for the cut-off date to be in March 2019 which will effectively mean freedom of movement will continue until 2021.

She said: "The UK's position represents a fair and serious offer, one aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives and contributing so much to our society."

Reuters reported that an 85-page residency form will be replaced by a more streamlined system, "using digital tools to register people in a light-touch way".

May also rejected demands that the European Court of Justice should continue to oversee the rights of EU migrants after Brexit

She said according to the Daily Telegraph: "The commitment that we make to EU citizens will be enshrined in EU law and enforced through our highly-respected courts".

May's offer will be detailed in full in a position paper published on Monday.

Earlier in the day European Council President Donald Tusk said he regretted the UK's pending departure.

He said: "Some of my British friends have even asked me whether Brexit could be reversed and whether I could imagine an outcome where the UK stays part of the EU.

"I told them that, in fact, the European Union was built on dreams that seemed impossible to achieve. So, who knows?"</s>In a Brexit divorce deal offering, British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday said European Union citizens would be allowed to stay in the United Kingdom after the country leaves the EU.

"The UK's position represents a fair and serious offer,'' May said at a working dinner in Brussels, Belgium. "One aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives and contributing so much to our society.''

May and other European officials are meeting in Brussels to begin negotiations for a UK exit.

In July 2016, the UK voted in a hotly contested referendum that exposed deep division across the country to leave the EU.

Earlier this year, the UK government formally served divorce papers on the EU, marking the beginning of the end of a relationship that has endured for 44 years. May confirmed then that UK had triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, beginning the legal process that must end in two years time with Britain leaving the EU.</s>Prime Minister Theresa May, known for her hardline stance on Brexit, has offered a sop to UK-based EU citizens by promising to allow them to stay in Britain after the country’s exit from the economic bloc. The announcement at a Brussels summit on Thursday will come as a relief to an estimated 3 million EU nationals living permanently in the UK, including over 20,000 Goans who had used their Portuguese heritage to apply for EU nationality.

Addressing EU leaders at her first summit since the snap general election that lost her a majority in the UK Parliament, May said she did not want anyone to have to leave or families to split up. “No one will face a cliff edge,” she said, softening her stance after her disastrous election gamble. “The UK’s position represents a fair and serious offer, one aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives and contributing so much to our society,” she said.

The British prime minister stressed that her government wanted to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK – and the rights of UK expats in other European countries. Downing Street is yet to specify what the cut-off date will be for new residents, after which the special UK settled guarantee would no longer apply. It will be no earlier than March 2017, when the UK formally began leaving the EU by issuing the Article 50 notification, and no later than March 2019 when it will actually leave.

Those arriving up until the point of departure would have a “grace period” – expected to be two years – to build up the same “UK settled status” and the system would also be streamlined, doing away with an 85-page permanent residency application form which has attracted complaints, May said in a clear attempt to sweeten Britain’s offering for Brexit.

She told EU leaders: “The commitment that we make to EU citizens will be enshrined in UK law and will be enforced through our highly respected courts.” The British offer stands only on the basis that a reciprocal one is made for UK citizens living in EU countries, Downing Street has indicated. The proposals will form the central feature of further talks at the ongoing summit in Brussels on Friday.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>Theresa May has finally clarified that EU nationals living in Britain will not be kicked out when Brexit takes effect.

There are around 3 million EU expats living in the UK, but up until now their status after we leave the union had been unclear.

Today, the prime minister confirmed they would have the right to stay if they were living lawfully in the UK – as long as the same applies to Brits elsewhere.

The Prime Minister told a European Council summit in Brussels that she wanted to offer ‘certainty’ to people and ensure that families are not split up by Brexit.

But she made clear that the proposals would be adopted only if the same rights are granted to UK citizens living in the remaining 27 EU states in a reciprocal settlement.

And she set up a series of probable clashes with the European Union by suggesting she could set an early cut-off date for residency rights and rejecting a Brussels demand for the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to retain powers to enforce rights following Brexit.

Under Mrs May’s plans, unveiled on the eve of the anniversary of the Brexit referendum, EU nationals who have lived in the UK for five years by a specific cut-off date will be given the chance to take up ‘settled status’, granting them rights to stay in the country and receive healthcare, education, welfare and pensions as if they were British citizens.

Those resident for a shorter period will have the opportunity to stay on until they have reached the five-year threshold.

Those arriving after the cut-off date but before the date of Brexit will have a ‘grace period’ – expected to be two years – within which to regularise their immigration status with a view to later seeking settled status.

The cut-off date is yet to be set, but will come between the day when Britain formally notified Brussels of its intention to quit on April 29 2017 and the day when it finally leaves, expected to be March 29 2019.</s>Leo Varadkar has told his first EU summit as Taoiseach that it is not too late for the UK to stay within the organisation.

It comes amid heightened security after a foiled terrorist attack in one of Brussels' busiest train stations on Wednesday.

On her way in to today's summit, British Prime Minister Theresa May promised to bring proposals to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK, and UK citizens living across the EU.

EU leaders however insist that any such issues are dealt with through official channels involving the EU's taskforce and lead negotiator Michel Barnier and UK negotiator David Davis.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the door was still open for the UK to remain in the EU, a sentiment echoed by EU Council president, Donald Tusk.

"The door always remains open to the United Kingdom," said the Taoiseach. "We donât want them to leave the European Union or the single market, or the customs union."

Mr Tusk said that in politics "everything is possible" and that a reversal of the Brexit decision would realise a personal dream of his.

Leo Varadkar and European Union Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker prior to their meeting at the European Union Commission headquarters in Brussels today. Picture: Getty</s>BRUSSELS: British Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday she would set out plans at a Brussels summit to "protect" the rights of European Union citizens living in the UK after Brexit "What I'm going to be setting out today is clearly how the UK proposes to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK, and see the rights of UK citizens living in Europe protected," May said as she arrived at the two-day meeting of EU leaders."That's been an important issue, we've wanted it to be one of the early issues that was considered in the negotiations, that is now the case, that work is starting."We will be setting out how we propose to ensure that EU citizens living in the UK have their rights protected in the United Kingdom."May's spokesman earlier said that she would set out the principles of her plan over dinner with other EU leaders on Thursday evening.EU officials said they had however asked her not to bring up the issue, saying all talks should be conducted by official EU and British negotiators Michel Barnier and David Davis, and not by national leaders.The fate of an estimated three million Europeans currently living in Britain and around one million Britons living elsewhere in the EU was thrown into doubt by Britain's vote to leave the bloc last year.May had previously refused to guarantee the rights of EU citizens in Britain until those of expatriate Britons were secured.The issue of citizens rights is one of three priorities in the Brexit talks which began on Monday, along with Britain's divorce bill and the fraught question of Northern Ireland, which will share Britain's only land border with the EU after Brexit.May said the talks had made a "very constructive start".</s>BRUSSELS – Almost all 3 million European Union citizens currently in the U.K. will be able to continue living there after Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May promised, saying she wanted to offer them as much certainty as possible about their futures.

May set out the principles with which she plans to approach the question of European citizens in Britain at a dinner for EU leaders during a summit in Brussels. Her office gave an outline of her remarks. The prime minister emphasized that she didn’t want to break up families or deport anyone currently in the U.K.

“The U.K.’s position represents a fair and serious offer,” May said. “One aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the U.K., building careers and lives and contributing so much to our society.”

While the proposal will go a long way toward meeting what EU leaders wanted for their citizens, they’re likely to object to May’s insistence that questions over their rights should be adjudicated in British courts. The U.K. is also leaving open the question of the “cut-off date” from which the rights will no longer apply, saying only that it will be some time between March 29, 2017, when it began the departure process, and the date it actually leaves.

The precise detail of the proposal will be published by the government on Monday afternoon, when May makes a statement to Parliament.

The government proposal effectively divides EU citizens into three groups:

Those who have been residents in the U.K for five years before the cut-off date will be granted “settled status,” meaning they’ll be treated like U.K. citizens on questions of health care, education, welfare and pensions.

Those with less than five years’ residence before the cut-off date will be allowed to stay until they have clocked up five years’ residence, and then apply for settled status.

Those who arrive in the U.K. between the cut-off date and the date the U.K. leaves the EU will be entitled to a “grace period” of around two years to allow them to apply for legal status to remain.

May also promised that the application system for settled status will be streamlined “light touch” and use digital tools, in a shift away from the lengthy documents the Home Office currently asks applicants to fill out.

While the U.K.’s offer goes further than some on the EU side expected, particularly in its assurances on benefits and pensions, it’s still short of what the bloc has demanded in areas such as on the need for their citizens’ rights to be protected in perpetuity by the European Court of Justice and for the cut-off date to be the day the U.K. leaves the EU.

EU citizens living in the U.K. currently have more rights than British citizens when it comes to being joined by non-EU spouses and other family members. For British citizens, the U.K. requires non-EU spouses to meet a minimum income threshold, but hasn’t been allowed under EU law to apply that to the spouses of EU citizens.

Whether that remains the case could become a matter for negotiation. The EU’s four-page position paper on citizens’ rights calls for the “same level of protection as set out in union law at the date of withdrawal of EU-27 citizens in the U.K. and of U.K. nationals in EU-27.”

“We want to negotiate in a good spirit and we know that we want to continue working together with Britain,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters on the way into the summit.</s>German Chancellor Angela Merkel has described UK plans to ensure the rights of EU citizens in Britain after Brexit as "a good start".

However, she said there were "many, many other questions" about Brexit and there was "still a lot to do".

The UK proposal was unveiled by Prime Minister Theresa May at an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.

It would grant EU migrants who had lived in the UK for five years a new "UK settled status".

That would allow them to stay in the country and access health, education and other benefits.

The plan would affect 3.2 million EU citizens now living in the UK.
• Brexit: All you need to know

Their rights - and the rights of UK citizens living in the rest of the EU - are among the thorny issues that have to be resolved early on in Brexit talks, along with the UK's divorce bill and the Northern Ireland border.

"Theresa May made clear today that EU citizens who have been in Great Britain for five years can keep their full rights. That's a good start," said Mrs Merkel at the end of Thursday's talks.

"But of course there are many, many other questions about Brexit - about finances, about the relationship with Ireland - which means we still have a lot to do until October."

She insisted that Brexit was not the focus of the summit - the UK's split from the EU is being negotiated separately.

"For me the shaping of the future of the 27 is a priority coming before the issue of the negotiations with Britain on the exit," she added.

Before Mrs May's offer, the EU proposed that EU citizens in the UK and the estimated 1.2 million Britons living in EU countries should continue enjoying the same rights, enforceable by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

At the summit, the PM sought to reassure the 27 other EU states, saying the UK "does not want anyone here to have to leave, nor does it want families to be split up".

"No-one will face a cliff edge," she said.

The UK stunned the EU when it voted to end its membership in a referendum a year ago on Friday. The exit deadline is 30 March 2019.

The summit's final day is to focus on migration, security and economic issues.

Counter-terrorism has been a key issue at the summit which comes in the wake of an attack in Brussels on Tuesday.

Several EU states have been attacked in recent weeks, including the UK, France and Sweden, and Mrs May said that an attack against any member state was an attack on all.

Both sides would like to get the issue of citizens' rights wrapped up as soon as possible - it would be good for morale to get an early win, and they have more difficult issues to tackle.

But while there is a sense that progress can be made, there are still some tricky technical questions to deal with.

Which rights will be extended to immediate family members living elsewhere - to children in particular? And who will guarantee citizens' rights in the event of any legal dispute? The EU has already insisted that the European Court of Justice should be involved; the UK insists that British courts should uphold the deal.

It is also not clear what the cut-off date should be for citizens to qualify for any offer that is agreed. The UK proposal suggests a date between March 2017 and March 2019 - although it is highly unlikely that the EU would be willing to accept a date that has already passed.

From an EU perspective, what we've heard so far from the UK side remains rather vague. EU negotiators will want to see the details of this proposal which are only due to be made public next Monday.</s>London (CNN) British Prime Minister Theresa May's plans to secure the rights of EU nationals after Brexit have been criticized as "not sufficient," by the head of the European Commission.

Speaking to reporters the day after May presented her plans to fellow European leaders in Brussels, Jean-Claude Juncker said while May's offer was the "first step," it was "not sufficient."

During a working dinner Thursday, May told EU leaders none of the three million EU citizens currently living in Britain would have to leave, and dismissed the prospect that families could be split up.

According to the British government's plans , a new "settled status" would allow EU nationals who have lived in the UK for five years to remain and enjoy access to healthcare, education and other benefits.

She also added that those who had spent a shorter time in the UK would be permitted to remain until they reach the five-year point. Others who arrive after an as-yet-undisclosed cut-off date will benefit from a "grace period," expected to be two years.

The proposal is dependent on British nationals living in EU states being offered a reciprocal deal.

But the plan, unveiled on the eve of the first anniversary of Britain's Brexit referendum, has been heavily criticized.

"It has taken a full year since the EU referendum for the Prime Minister to come up with a plan which does not come close to fully guaranteeing the rights of EU nationals living in the UK," Khan said in a statement.

"Her proposal doesn't go anywhere near giving the three million EU citizens living in Britain -- one million of whom are Londoners -- the certainty they need to make long-term plans for themselves or their families."

"It is unacceptable for the Prime Minister to be treating EU citizens living here and contributing to our economy and society as bargaining chips. By doing so she is treating British people living in Europe, the same," he said.

He urged May to "abandon her extreme, Hard Brexit approach, guarantee the rights of EU nationals in our country and secure a deal that protects jobs, investment and prosperity across the county."

Friday marks a year since Britain voted to leave the European Union -- but negotiations over the terms of the departure only began last week, and much remains unclear as to the future relationship between the two.

How will it work?

Further details are expected to be released on Monday when the Government publishes a paper on the subject -- it may offer some clarification as to whether those with settled status will be allowed to bring children or spouses into the country.

It may also address whether there will be any further conditions apart from the length of residency.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called May's offer a "good start" but warned there were still many other obstacles to overcome before Britain's departure from the EU.

"Theresa May made clear to us today that EU citizens that have been in Britain for five years will retain their full rights. That is a good start," Merkel told reporters Thursday.

"But there are still many many other questions linked to the exit, including on finances and the relationship with Ireland. So we have a lot to do until (the next EU summit in) October."

While there was a cautious welcome from Merkel, others were less forthcoming.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said there were "thousands of questions to ask" after listening to May's presentation.

"We don't want a cat in the bag," he said. "We want the rights of EU citizens to be permanently guaranteed," he said.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern was guarded in his assessment of May's proposal.

"It is a first good step which we appreciate," he said. "(But) many details are left open. A lot of European citizens are concerned and not covered by May's proposal. There is a long, long way to go for negotiations."

One area which is bound to cause controversy is the EU's desire to see the European Court of Justice enforcing the rights of EU citizens within the UK.

That is a demand which May is unwilling to accept. She told fellow leaders: "The commitment that we make to EU citizens will be enshrined in UK law, and will be enforced through our highly respected courts."

Arriving for the second day of the summit, May said there are details of the arrangement which remain open to negotiation.

"This is a fair and serious offer," she said. "I want to give those EU citizens in the UK certainty about the future of their lives, but I also want to see that certainty given to UK citizens who are living in the EU."
UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces that citizens of the European Union living in the United Kingdom will be able to acquire a "UK settled status" after the UK leaves the EU.