EEA husband + American wife - Residence Card Application in the UK

[MrVenge]

Dear forum community,

I recently discovered this helpful community and would ask for some help for the UK EEA family permit application for our family. My wife (American) wants to travel with me to the UK, where I will start a PhD in September. I am still waiting for my unconditional offer, so we did not yet apply, but I have some questions where I can’t find an answer via Google’ing it.

1) It is stated we can both travel together – so I assume we can apply already before I travel to London - , but in the EEA Family Permit Online Form I have to state my UK residence (What is the main address and contact details of where you will be staying whilst in the UK)?
i) We don’t have yet a residence in the UK, and still live in Austria until September. Should we just fill it out with N/A?
ii) Consequently, I also do not have a EEA National Registration Certificate number – which is required. Also just fill in N/A?

2) In another section, several questions regarding the funding occur. We want to live here for a longer time horizon, so accurate statements about most questions seem to be impossible (he total amount of money you have for this trip // What is the cost to you personally of your trip in GBP(£)).
i) Shall we state it per month?
ii) In a subsection you can add a person as well as a sponsor as additional ‘income resource’. I assume the partner is not a sponsor, right?

3) I was reading lots of stuff about interviews, identification forms, and necessary uploads to proof the marriage (Wedding documents, photos, bills, etc.).
i) However, I don’t find anything in the application form at ‘visa4uk.fco.gov.uk’ where I could upload my documents. Does this come at a later stage?
ii) Would we then be able to interview at the British embassy? (Also nothing stated in the application form)


I am sorry for all the questions, but I am a bit nervous after reading through all these tough stories on the web. I am fully aware that no one can always give definite answers, and I would be very grateful for any kind of your help.

Best regards to all of you!

[Richard W]

I recently discovered this helpful community and would ask for some help for the UK EEA family permit application for our family. My wife (American) wants to travel with me to the UK, where I will start a PhD in September.

I trust that you are aware that you have the right to just travel to the UK and have your wife admitted on the basis that she is accompanying her EEA husband. As she is a US citizen, she does not need a visa, even though she will be in the UK for a long time. As soon as you start exercising treaty rights, which will require the two of you to have Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI), your wife should apply for a residence card so as to make life in the UK easier. When you arrive in the UK without anything like a visa, you will have to provide evidence that you are married, and it is generally considered advisable to carry evidence that yours is not a marriage of convenience. You do not have to be a student when you enter - you get three months initial residence just on the basis of your being Austrian.

I am sorry I wasn't able to answer your actual question.

[MrVenge]

Thank you very much for your answer!

I am aware that she can just travel with me there and then apply for the residence card. However, the downside of this is that she would have no right to work until she can obtain this card, which can take up to 6 months.

[at12]

Hi,
I think that if you are married her CoA will state that she is allowed to work. You will likely get this within 3-4 weeks from your application.
She can present that to prospective employers, who can confirm this right directly with the Home Office using this link:
https://www.immigrationstatuscheck.serv ... employers/

[MrVenge]

Dear Community,

I (Austrian) posted on this forum some time ago already. I am entering the UK to pursue funded PhD studies, and my wife (American) is accompanying me. As I will receive my unconditional offer (which is required for VISA applications) possibly too late to apply for an EEA Family permit from outside the UK, we were thinking about an alternative strategy that I read here.


I assume that, by receiving an unconditional study offer from the University, I am exercising my treaty rights to the UK, which means my wife can accompany me on my travel to England without Visa. Once in the UK, we both need to get Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) (Me as a student, and her as a spouse of an EEA person). Once we have that, we can apply for a residence card for her (which I read is harder to obtain than an EEA Family permit).

1) Is this true? This seems like an easier way than the EEA Family Permit +(!) Residence card route, why are almost all people still applying for the EEA Family Permit before travel?

2) Most of this preparation is done in the UK, right? At the border control, we must show our marriage documents and proof that this is not marriage of convenience, but, other than that, everything is done in the UK?

3) The CSI requirement are kind of confusing to me – I read that we need to proof that we had(?) at least 5 years of health insurance coverage before we came to the UK. In another article, however, I read that one must sign private health insurance in the UK – I assume this would also be possible for my spouse even though she has not yet a residence card? And at what stage do I have to obtain CSI? Do we need this already before we enter the UK, or can we purchase it before we apply for a residence card?

4) Is it usually a problem to find a flat / open a bank account with my wife as long as she does not possess this residence card?


Best regards and thank you for your input!

[CR001]

Topics Merged.

[MrVenge]

Is there anyone that has been going that route?

[tiems]

Hi!

I moved to the UK last month with my American husband, so I might be able to shed some light on some of your questions. We initially wanted to opt for a family permit, but decided to just enter the country normally and applying for the residency card. We received his CoA with right to work less then three weeks after filing the paperwork.

Regarding your questions:

1) Is this true? This seems like an easier way than the EEA Family Permit +(!) Residence card route, why are almost all people still applying for the EEA Family Permit before travel?

I imagine because they are from countries that do not have visa-free entry into the UK. Since your wife is American you're in quite a privileged position when it comes to initial assumptions and the behaviour of the Border Force and UKVI.

2) Most of this preparation is done in the UK, right? At the border control, we must show our marriage documents and proof that this is not marriage of convenience, but, other than that, everything is done in the UK?

We entered without having to show our marriage certificate. I simply stated that I was exercising my treaty rights and would like to enter the country with my husband under those treaty rights. However, in our case, my husband did already hold a valid Article 10 residency card form another EU country.

You probably want to make sure you're carrying your marriage certificate and offer letter, just in case.

4) Is it usually a problem to find a flat / open a bank account with my wife as long as she does not possess this residence card?

We have both been able to open bank accounts using some of the new online banks: Starling, Monzo & Revolut. Established banks have been a bit more difficult, so we have not yet made that step.

Finding a flat can be complicated if you want both names on the rental agreement. Some landlords are a bit hesitant. However, we have both our names on there. One key thing is, once you found a flat, to try and put both names on all the utilities. This will help you a lot further down the line when you need proof of address, and apply for the residency card.

I'm afraid I can't really share any insight on the CSI as I'm a QP through employment, so we do not have that requirement. But somebody else might be able to shed some light on that!

[MrVenge]

Thank you so much for your advice!

I will then enter the UK with her and bring the necessary documents. At the border control, I will say that I am planning to exercise my treaty rights by showing my offer letter, and she will accompany me. After we both have CSI, we will apply for a residency card.

Also: Thank you so much for all the tips regarding housing and bank accounts! I assume having shared accounts and flats makes the residency card application (and the proof of dependency) a bit easier.

Re Bank Accounts for other readers: Revolut lets you open an account even before you arrive in the UK, and have the best FX conversion rates - so I would advice you to open one (at least) for the initial period and for FX conversion of your home currency. Once you have a residency in the UK, Starling/Monzo (Both having a banking licence and joint accounts) might also come in handy.

Best regards,

[BritCits]

It is likely that an EHIC will be valid in place of CSI - but do check.

Also, CSI or equivalent will be needed if the EU sponsor is not working. So even if the American spouse is working and paying a lot of money in taxes, she will still need CSI for as long as the EU sponsor is not in employment.