Last month's referendum decision for Britain to leave the European Union came as a shocking blow for young people, who were overwhelmingly pro-Remain. Heartbreakingly for many, they will now lose the right to live and work in 27 other countries.
However, senior German politicians recently offered them a glimmer of hope by proposing that young Brits be offered dual citizenship in Germany. Dual citizenship for non-EU citizens is usually forbidden in the country, but Sigmar Gabriel, the vice chancellor, said he would raise the issue in the country's national elections next year.
He said: “Let’s offer it to the young Britons living in Germany, Italy or France so that they can remain EU citizens,” The Guardian reported. “It’s a good sign that the youth of Great Britain are more clever than their bizarre political elite. For that reason we can’t raise our drawbridge on them. We have to think now about what we can offer Great Britain’s younger generation.”
Many Brits have already applied for dual-citizenship in Germany, according to reports in German media, but will this trend continue? Would Brits currently living and working in Germany consider applying for dual-citizenship because of Brexit? And would Germans in London think about going back home because of the message Brexit sends about Britain's attitudes towards immigrants?
We spoke to Brits living in Germany about Brexit and dual German citizenship, and asked Germans in London whether Brexit makes them more or less enthusiastic about living in the UK.
Brogues Cozens-McNeelance, 23, is a social media manager and blogger. She is originally from London and has lived in Berlin for just over a year.
"I felt sick and had a little cry when I woke up to the EU referendum result on the news. In the run-up to the vote, I increasingly got the impression that Brexit – depressingly – could actually happen, but I still had a glimmer of hope that we’d end up remaining.
"Now I'm even more intent on staying in Berlin and one day applying for German citizenship, so I support the dual-citizenship proposal. It’s reassuring that Brits haven’t all been tarred with the same brush by German politicians. I love Germany, so the opportunity to get dual citizenship would be ideal, from my perspective and those of my fellow Brit friends here, who share my feelings on the issue and also towards Germany.
"I’ve never felt less British and more European. I had always gravitated towards a more European mindset – as opposed to identifying solely as British – but now those inclinations are even stronger. I want to live in a country with a predominantly progressive attitude towards migrants, and that recognises the value of a society rich in skill sets, perspectives and cultures. I used to think the UK was one such place, but recent events have sadly shown me otherwise."
Grant Box, 38, is the CEO of a music PR agency and record label. He is originally from Wimbledon, south-west London and has lived in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, for nine years.
"Germany has an ageing population and not enough young people having babies, so I think it’s a good idea for the country to keep young British people here who are working or who, like me, own a business and employ Germans.
"I wasn’t surprised by the vote for Brexit because I spent days before the vote arguing with family about which way they were voting. Unfortunately, the result meant I found it hard to support England as passionately as I would have liked to during the Euro 2016 football tournament. I was so disappointed by the result and how people have become so racist and ignorant. It’s embarrassing to be British right now and I’ve never had that feeling before."
Abby Young-Powell, 28, is a freelance journalist. She grew up in Wales and lived in London for five years before moving to Berlin just after the EU referendum three weeks ago, having been planning the move for months.
"I spent three months in Berlin last year and fell in love with the city and its open-minded culture, so recently decided to move here permanently. When I heard the UK referendum result I was just about to move, so I was really sad, shocked and worried about the future. I voted to remain, see myself as European and feel privileged to be part of a wider European Union and to have been able to take up opportunities like working over here.
"The proposal to offer young British people dual-citizenship is fantastic, and German politicians are right to acknowledge that many young Brits didn't want to leave the EU. I would take advantage of the offer, pay taxes in Germany and live as a good citizen – my plea to German politicians is to please go easy on us young Brits who still love being European and have a lot to offer!
"I'm worried I won't be able to stay in Germany because of Brexit – I don't know what deal will be made or what will happen to Brits living in the EU. It has made me want to stay even more and it hasn't made me to return to the UK. Right now I don't feel proud to tell people I'm British. UK politics feels very unstable and more right wing, and it seems more acceptable to be racist. Overall, the impression is of being a more inward-looking, isolated and divided country, with fewer opportunities for young people."
Nicolas William Rider, 34, owns a small marketing firm in Berlin. He is originally from England and lived in London for 14 years before moving to Berlin, where he has lived for two years.
" I was stunned at the referendum result. We should never have been given the power to choose this – the average person on the street has little understanding of the workings of finance and trade, yet the population made a decision that will affect us for generations. My German friends, and friends from other nations were stunned and couldn’t believe how we could be so short-sighted.
"On a purely selfish level, I welcome the proposal to offer Brits dual-citizenship and would consider it. I love London but it wears me down. Berlin and the German people have given me so much, I want to stay here and give something back. I have plenty of friends who would take it up, all the British people I know here have no plans on returning anytime soon. We have built lives, relationships and gotten work here, this is home and I'd hope to stay.
"I’m not proud to be British at the moment, nor am I ashamed, but there’s something wrong when parts of the country feel so out of touch with one another. People who live in smaller towns outside London felt marginalised and ignored and that’s sad, too."
Vicky Angelina Stoelzel, 21, is a recent digital advertising and design graduate and freelancer. She is originally from Augsburg near Munich, Bavaria, Germany and is now based in south-east London, where she's been for five years.
“I was in Egypt on holiday when I heard the referendum result. Before we took off, my friend had joked: “This will be the last time we see England in the EU”, and when I heard the news I was shocked and thought it was a mistake or prank. Then I panicked as I have just finished uni and was looking for jobs in London. Would they still take me? Do I have to get a visa to work in London? I was also scared to go back as I’d heard about the attacks towards tourists and immigrants.
“I agree with Sigmar Gabriel’s proposal 100% and I hope they make it happen for young people. I would take advantage of it too, as it’s so much easier to find work if you’re a EU citizen then if you’re from outside. Gabriel understands that we are the future and is trying to bend the rules in our best interests.
“Brexit has made me rethink my own future in London. If living here gets too expensive and my income goes down because of the falling pound, I’ll move to a different European country or go back to Germany. We still don’t know what the outcome of leaving the EU will be and that is what scares my friends and me. I still hope that UK politicians have a bit of common sense and listen to us, the future generation.”
Christian Medgett, 27, is an account executive for a digital media agency. He is originally from Cologne, Germany and now lives in Stoke Newington, London.
“I was in Majorca on the day of the referendum and I laughed in disbelief when I heard the result – before I went to bed it was 95.9% “in” and 4.1% “out”. Disbelief was very quickly followed by disappointment for a country I feel very close to. I understand that many had reasons for wanting to leave the EU, but I was saddened by the “Britain for British” attitude and xenophobic mentality that many who voted leave seemed to hold. Living in London, which has always been a welcoming city to me, I’d never been exposed to these attitudes before.
“Dual-citizenship offers a great opportunity for driven Brits to work abroad and experience a country that’s still growing and flourishing. If you’ve visited Berlin you’ll know what I mean. However, handing out dual-citizenship just like that is a little drastic. If you offer it to Brits then you should offer it to anyone, including refugees who are willing to stay and work in Germany. Citizenship shouldn’t just be given away to someone who decided to work in another country for a few years or spend two years in Berghain; but rather to people who want to settle and contribute to a society, community and culture.
“Brexit hasn’t made me more likely to leave London. The only thing that would make me consider leaving is the ludicrous cost of renting in London. It will probably be at least two years until the UK leaves and I think I’ll be able to stay. I still love London and, for now, it’s still my home.”
Nina May, 41, is a writer and editor. She is originally from Hamburg, Germany and now lives in Islington, London, where she has been for 18 years.
“I decided not to stay awake to watch the live referendum results. I thought “the bookies are always right”, and they’d called it for Remain. Only when I woke up and my phone started beeping with messages from equally dismayed friends did it really sink in. I was shocked and am still incredibly angry.
“Dual-citizenship for young Brits in Germany is a brilliant idea, and I hope they take advantage of it if it happens. It shows that Germany is far more open-minded than stereotypes lead people to believe. If I need to, I will apply myself, but I don’t know anyone who would apply, mainly because I don’t think any of my friends believe Brexit will actually happen. They may apply if/when it gets serious.
“I still love Britain, but I don’t like it very much right now. I did look casually into moving, but my life and my friends are here, and – for the moment – the situation isn’t bad enough for me to abandon 18 years of making London my home. I have no interest in going back to Germany, but I would happily move to Scotland if it split off and joined the EU. I like rain, so I will always stay in northern Europe.”
Laura Sauerbrei, 21, is an operation coordinator at Karl Lagerfeld. She was born near Hanover, Germany, but moved to Berlin when she was 15 and moved to London a year ago, where she now lives.
“I was really surprised by the referendum result. Most people in London were sure the UK would remain inside EU, so watching the news the next morning was disappointing and terrifying. Dual-citizenship is a good idea because it would be sad to cut young British people off from opportunities around. They’re the generation building future, so they shouldn't have any limitations along the way.
“Brexit has definitely changed my perception of the UK. When I first moved here I felt really welcome as a foreigner, especially with all the different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds in London. My perception of London hasn’t changed, but it was frustrating hearing the reasons why people outside of London voted to leave. I work and pay taxes like everyone else, so I shouldn't be cut off just because I'm not a British citizen.
“My university course lasts a few more years, so I don’t have the option to leave the UK right now. But if I wasn’t studying I might consider leaving the UK. Then again, I love London and we shouldn't be driven by fear of what the future holds.”
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