The consequences of Brexit for British-European couples and families were largely overlooked during the public debate over the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union. Yet our new research reveals just how devastating those consequences have been. The lack of attention is especially striking given the size of the population affected. After decades of EU membership and freedom of movement, relationships between British and European citizens had become commonplace. By the time of the 2021 Census, more than half a million married or cohabiting couples in England and Wales, roughly one in 25, consisted of one UK-born and one EU-born partner. Significant numbers of these binational couples and their families also lived elsewhere in Europe.

In 2017, then-Prime Minister Theresa May promised that “no families would be split up” as a result of Brexit. But that assurance applied only to EU nationals already living in the UK before Brexit who would qualify for the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).

(To download the original report, click here.)

Since the end of the Brexit transition period, couples unable to access the EUSS have been forced to navigate Britain’s highly restrictive immigration system. They include couples who were not living together before Brexit, those whose relationships began afterward, and families living in the EU or elsewhere who missed the 2022 deadline to return. These families now feature prominently in UK immigration statistics. If the EU were counted as a single country, it would represent the second-largest nationality group applying for UK partner visas, behind Pakistan. Yet even these figures obscure the many couples unable to apply because they cannot meet the requirements.

Although numerous countries, including EU member states, impose restrictions on family immigration, Britain’s system stands out both within Europe and globally for the severity of its demands. British sponsors must earn at least £29,000 annually, a threshold that excludes roughly half of UK employees. The cost of securing settlement exceeds £12,000 even for those on the shortest five-year route, with substantially higher expenses for others. Applicants must also satisfy numerous additional requirements, while exemptions remain extremely limited.

The application process itself is notoriously complicated and opaque, sometimes challenging even experienced immigration lawyers. Mistakes are easy to make but often difficult, if not impossible, to correct. For many British-European couples, the result is prolonged separation or the prospect of building their lives outside the UK.

Our Brexit Couples research project examined the experiences of the first group of British-European couples required to navigate the UK’s partner immigration system following Brexit. Data from the 2021 Census indicate that these couples are, on average, more highly educated and more likely to hold senior-level positions than couples in which both partners were born in the UK. Many of our interviewees reflected this demographic profile. Yet despite their education and professional experience, they struggled with the system’s complexity and expense. Some endured months of separation, while others were discouraged from applying altogether.

Those in more precarious circumstances, many of whom had already encountered difficulties under the EUSS, faced even slimmer prospects of success. Some had become undocumented, or risked losing their legal status, because remaining in Britain was the only way to preserve their family lives.

Even couples who successfully obtained visas described the experience as exhausting and deeply stressful. Some parents were separated from their children. Others reported serious consequences for their financial security and mental well-being, driven by prolonged separation, mounting expenses, and the need to rearrange employment or education to satisfy income requirements.

The sense of betrayal was particularly acute among families who had moved from Britain to the EU under freedom of movement and subsequently hoped to return, often to care for aging relatives or help raise grandchildren. They had made major decisions about their lives based on rights and assurances that Brexit subsequently undermined. Almost without exception, our interviewees expressed profound shock at the consequences Brexit could have for their relationships, families, and futures.

Discussions between Britain and the EU over a post-Brexit “reset” offer an important opportunity to confront these problems and alleviate some of the harm. The need is urgent. Travel, business, and education will continue to bring British and European citizens together, creating new relationships and families regardless of the political boundaries separating them.

Indeed, proposals already under consideration, including a youth mobility scheme and Britain’s potential return to the Erasmus university exchange program, could create even more opportunities for young Europeans and Britons to meet, fall in love, and plan their futures together.

Some couples will undoubtedly choose to settle elsewhere in Europe. Others will want to make their homes in Britain, sometimes for practical reasons. As several interviewees explained, the European partner is often more proficient in English than the British partner is in another European language.

If the proposed reset is to mean anything for the people whose lives have been shaped by Brexit, negotiators on both sides must recognize the importance of protecting family life. That means addressing the immigration barriers that have separated couples, disrupted families, and forced people to choose between their loved ones and the country they call home.

The original Brexit negotiations largely ignored these families. A meaningful reset should not repeat that mistake.