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A significant number of EU citizens living long term in the UK post Brexit are experiencing discrimination in work and in public services, a report by the UK’s statutory Brexit watchdog has revealed.
Five years after the UK quit the bloc, more than a third reported feeling discriminated against by public bodies. One in five said they had experienced difficulties accessing their rights including the right to work, the right to travel in and out of the country and their right to equal treatment in public services.
“Five years on from Brexit, the survey results support our current understanding that whilst awareness of rights is increasing, barriers in accessing those rights remain for some citizens. It is also likely that type of issues being faced by EU and EEA Efta citizens will only continue to evolve in complexity,” said Miranda Biddle, the chief executive of the Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA). The IMA is the body set up by the Withdrawal Act 2020 to ensure citizens’ rights to live, work, retire and access health and social welfare were upheld.
Brexit was a huge disruption to the 7.1 million people from the EU, the European Economic Area and the European Free Trade Association countries such as Norway, who have either settled or pre-settled status in the UK.
When asked what steps the IMA could take to make a difference to their lives, more than half those surveyed cited help to maintain their rights to “travel freely without worry or concern”.
They also wanted the IMA to help to ensure adequate access to support when needed and help to ensure future generations were protected.
The IMA has been tracking EU citizens’ experiences since 2021, the first full year the UK was outside the bloc.
Its citizens’ rights survey 2025 found that the majority of EU citizens were aware of their rights under the withdrawal agreement, a legally binding treaty that formed the basis of Brexit.
But the survey exposed some concerning knowledge gaps when it came to children.
Almost four in 10 said they had not applied for settled status for their child. Of that group, more than 70% wrongly believed their child had an automatic right to British citizenship.
There was also a significant number who felt they had been discriminated against by GPs, hospitals, a local authority or the Home Office and Border Force.
Only 61% said they trusted public bodies to protect their rights, with distrust higher in the over 65s.
A quarter complained that their professional qualifications, from accountancy to architecture, were not being recognised.
The Home Office has been approached for comment.
