(Un)settled? – How German students with settled status experienced the United Kingdom leaving the European Union

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences of three German students living in the United Kingdom (UK) post-Brexit. The study focuses on a specific subset of citizens of the European Union (EU) who have lived in the country for more than five years and thus received settled status under the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, which grants them the continued right to live, study and work in the UK. Using semi-structured online interviews and thematic analysis, this study finds that the participants did not change their career plans and did not face higher tuition costs because of Brexit. However, despite the limited effects of Brexit on their legal status, all three participants recounted experiences of uncertainty, inbetweenness and discrimination that contributed to their unsettledness. This paper contributes to the literature on the experiences of EU citizens in the post-Brexit UK by emphasising that EU citizens are not a homogenous group. Their experiences differ substantially depending on their legal status under the withdrawal agreement. Moreover, the study illustrates the emotional impact of the referendum.