EU citizens in post-Brexit UK: the case for automatic naturalisation

One of the most passionately contested issues in the aftermath of the UK's decision to leave the European Union in the June 2016 referendum concerned the standing of EU citizens residing in British territory. This article addresses this question from the perspective of normative political theory. Connecting the issue to recent debates about immigrant rights and the political significance of territorial presence, I argue that non-citizen residents should be granted full citizenship of the host state rather than a mere right to stay. This naturalisation process should proceed automatically in the case of EU citizens in post-Brexit UK, given legitimate expectations on both sides created during the UK's membership in the European Union.