Brexit Effect: Spanish Woman Removed From UK After Returning From Holiday

A Spanish woman was deported from the UK after returning from a holiday in Malaga, despite presenting the necessary Brexit paperwork that showed her right to live and work in the country, the Guardian reported. She had left the UK to visit her family over Christmas. 

The 34-year-old woman was detained overnight in Luton airport on December 26 and then flown back to Spain. Border officers told her she was ''wasting her time'' if she thought the Home Office documentation she had showing her right to live in the UK was valid. 

The Border Force denied her entry because her “application for EUSS [EU Settlement Scheme] has been refused.'' It also specified, ''You no longer have a right of admission to the UK as saved by the Citizens' Rights (Application Deadline and Temporary Protection) Regulations 2020.''

''I went home because my sister had a baby girl, and literally four days later in Luton airport they took me to the detention room, took my stuff and my phone, and told me to wait there. I was left there all night and then put on a plane,'' Maria was quoted as saying in The Guardian.

''I was supposed to be back at work but now my life has gone. All my stuff is in the UK: my dog, my car. I was doing this veterinary nursing apprenticeship, which was my dream. If I try and... go back it will be even worse,'' she said.

Her husband then flew out to Spain to help after British border officials warned her not to try to re-enter the country for a month.

Notably, the woman had made a late application for the EU settlement scheme in 2023. However, her previous application was refused in June, allegedly on the grounds she ''did not provide sufficient evidence.''

The woman has now asked for an administrative review of the decision. She also presented a certificate of application (CoA) from the Home Office, proving her right to work in the UK.

The incident highlights some of the problems facing EU citizens whose applications to remain in the UK following the Brexit withdrawal agreement have yet to be finalised.