Citizens' rights provisions in the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill 2019-20

This briefing covers the citizens’ rights provisions in the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill 2019-20 (the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, or WAB). The Bill was introduced on 19 December 2019 and had its Commons Second Reading on 20 December.

This briefing has been produced for the Bill’s Committee Stage and remaining stages in the Commons. The Bill has been referred to a Committee of the Whole House starting on Tuesday 7 January 2020. Proceedings will continue on the Bill on Wednesday 8 January and will conclude with the remaining stages on Thursday 9 January.

Citizens’ rights are covered in Part 3 of the Bill (clauses 7-17 and Schedules 1-2). Clauses 7-17 and Schedule 1 are unchanged from the Withdrawal Agreement Bill introduced in the 2019 session.[1] A couple of changes have been made in Schedule 2 (highlighted below).

Information on Clause 37 of the current Withdrawal Agreement Bill can be found in the Library’s separate Insight ‘Family reunion rights and the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill’, published on 23 December 2019.

[1] See commentary on the provisions in the previous Bill see the Commons Library Insight ‘Withdrawal Agreement Bill: Citizens’ rights’, 22 October 2019