What will be the fate of British expats in Europe if the Brexit goes through?

Nobody knows.

Here is what I think and all of this is on the assumption that the EU doesn’t completely unravel within a couple of years, which I think is much more possible than people think.

• I think expats who have some kind of legal residency in their country (and too many don’t bother) will be allowed to stay at least for the present. I certainly don’t think that the EU police are going to be suddenly kicking in doors with their jackboots and forcefully deporting all Brits. Mainly because jack-booted EU police don't exist; and the immigration authorities have bigger fish to fry than Nigel on the Costa del Sol.
• There will be a period of confusion in which the expat situation will be low priority.
• Eventually laws will be drafted that define a process by which British workers who wish to work in the Schengen Zone/EU can do so .
• I don’t believe that the EU is going to “punish” Britain in this. I think that's hysteria from the 'In' crowd.  At most, I could see the EU putting up sanctions: but look at who've they've sanctioned in teh last ten years. Russia and Iran. Does anybody really think that they are going to punish Britain similarly for a democratically achieved exit? Civilized countries don't punish countries like that nowadays. Anyway, if the EU did do something like that, it would spell the quick end of the EU as I'm sure many countries would just ignore it. Britain's too big a customer to lose. Full stop. Eventually, I think that the British legal ability to work in the EU legally will be no different than, say, Americans. Hopefully it will be better than that, because it is definitely a pain nowadays for us Amiks! But its not insurmountable.
• I expect that Britons already living on the Continent, especially if they’ve taken the time to get legal residence, will obviously have an advantage, as they will aready have local contacts and so on and should hopefully therefore be able to navigate the waters of visa bureaucracy.
  
  I have two English people who have been working for me for two years, and I’m a little worried about their status. But believe me, if I have to go through the rigamarole of getting a visa and so on for those two so they can continue working for me, I’m going to do it, no matter the inconvenience.
  
  However, regarding future prospects….well, I need English speakers and I prefer not to hire outside the EU unless it’s somebody I’ve worked with before.
  
   The Irish passport will have gained a lot of value for me if Brexit goes through.
  
  Let’s hope it all blows over.

Written 15.6.2016