June 23, 2016, will forever live in European history as it was the exact date when Great Britain decided to sever its ties with the European Union. The event has since been referred to as "Brexit" and has met with plenty of polarized reactions.
It has now been nearly six months since the referendum was made and the number of Brits trying to apply for Swedish citizenship has doubled, according to a report by The Independent. The exact number of Brits who were looking to become Swedes from June to November is approximately 1,122. In the preceding six months there were only 443 Brits applying for Swedish citizenship.
The highest number of applications took place during June, the same month of the Brexit referendum, with 311 applications that are roughly seven times more than the monthly average from 2015. July saw 233 applications made while August collected 167 applications. Current figures for 2016 are showing that the total number of applicants will be three times more than last year's numbers, according to the Swedish migration agency.
There are around 25,000 Swedes living in the United Kingdom, while there are about 18,000 Brits who have migrated to Sweden. In order to become a Swedish citizen, the applicant must have lived in the country for at least five years and secure a permit for a permanent residence. Showing good conduct will also be important as committing a crime will increase the waiting period by up to 10 years.
While Brits living in Sweden have a pretty good chance of acquiring citizenship, those who are looking to do the same in Belgium might not be so lucky. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel says British citizens living in Belgium with special ID cards will not be promised citizenship if they have UK passports post-Brexit, according to a report by The Express.
