BREXIT: UK Parliament Forces Government to Request Further Extension of Article 50 Period

October 23, 2019


On 17 Oct 2019, the Government of the United Kingdom and the EU Council agreed a modified Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration. However, on 19 Oct 2019, the UK Parliament voted to force the UK Government to request another extension of the Article 50 period.

On 22 Oct 2019, parliament voted to take forward the government’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which must be approved before the Withdrawal Agreement can be ratified in the UK, but voted against the government’s fast-track timetable for scrutinizing the bill.

This leaves the bill in limbo and makes it all but impossible that the Withdrawal Agreement can be ratified by the 31 October 2019 deadline.

While the EU has not yet officially responded to the latest extension request, there are still several possible outcomes:

  • There could be a no-deal Brexit on 1 November 2019 if the extension request is not granted; or
  • The EU could grant the latest extension request – the extension could then be used for scrutiny and ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, or for a UK general election, or for a second, confirmatory referendum ; or
  • The government could unilaterally revoke Article 50, effectively canceling Brexit.

What You Can Do Now

  • Ensure all UK employees residing in an EU member state, and EU citizens resident in the UK, and their family members, have submitted registration applications (where applicable) by Brexit day;
  • Affected employees should gather documents in support of possible future immigration applications;
  • Be prepared for longer, more complex immigration application requirements in any post-Brexit scenario and, if possible, bring forward any planned assignments between the UK and the EU.

See our latest Brexit information collected here.

Contact your Newland Chase immigration specialist for case-specific advice.

For general advice and information on immigration and business travel to the UK or any EU member state, please contact us.