Barbara is a Bulgarian national and is a single mother. Her son Nicolas is 25 years old and suffers from manic depression due to which he is unfit to work and thus financially dependent on Barbara.
Due to the high unemployment rate in Bulgaria and very low welfare benefits Barbara moved to Germany. Soon after her move she found a job as a housekeeper for a German history professor, Hans, who works at the Deutsche University and is the leader of a radical left-wing group called “Red Boys”.
Barbara and Hans have grown close and she moved in with him a year ago and they planned to get married. However, soon after things fell apart when Barbara found out that Hans had an affair with his secretary at work. Barbara left Hans and found a small room to rent in a shared flat. Barbara now faces the following difficulties:
a) Nicolas, who stayed in Bulgaria, has been refused entry to come to Germany because he is economically inactive and cannot provide any evidence that he has sought employment and has genuine chances of finding a job;
b) Barbara applied for a single parent benefit in Germany but got rejected because the benefit is meant for German nationals or nationals of other EU Member States that have a permanent residence in Germany;
Advise Barbara and Nicolas as to their rights under EU law.
c) Barbara’s best friend Luka, a Croatian national has been residing in the UK for the past five years working as a concierge at a five-star luxury hotel in London.
Due to the pandemic, Luka has been furloughed for the past year. He applied for the settlement status in the UK but has been rejected because he has been on furlough.
Advise Luka whether the rejection is compatible with the EU Withdrawal Agreement.
