[cup]

This happens every day in the UK and other countries. I can't help but feel cynical that It's only news worthy this time because the individuals are caucasian. Immigration laws are extremely rigid and usually only the wealthy or socially palatable can navigate them with ease.

[manarth]

  This happens every day in the UK and other countries

I agree that there are countless examples of people deserving of citizenship (through marriage, children, etc) who are denied by bureaucratic rules, and are often separated from their family as a result (or the entire family has to move).

This one's slightly odder though: someone who (being Dutch) already has the right to live and work visa-free in the UK, is being instructed to leave.

Given the information in the article (and assuming it's correct), there's no legal justification for that.

[mcguire]

It's a form letter, which makes sense because she's trying to do something that is meaningless for her situation.

[lgeek]

Did you read the article? She wants to obtain British citizenship. To do so, she must first obtain a document certifying that she has a right to live in the UK. That is a requirement for any EU citizen who wants to apply for citizenship. How is that meaningless?

[mcguire]

As an EU citizen, she has the right to live in the UK, currently. Applying for permanent residency would be approximately like me, as a US citizen, applying for permanent residency in the US.

With Brexit, in the future, that won't be the case. But until the UK government, in negotiations with the EU, determines how that is going to work for current EU residents, there's no point in dealing with an application process that is not meant for her situation.

[cup]

Shes not being asked to leave, only being asked to make preparations.

[waqf]

You're not British, are you?

[princeb]

what would be the point of making preparations, if not to do it?

[LoSboccacc]

As it should be, a state isn't a pro-bono organization.