Wife imigrating to UK

[afrizat]

I am a franco-american dual citizen, and as such carry both a US and French passport.

I will be moving to the UK for business, and under Euro law can legally work in the UK.

However, my wife is Americain. What formalities must I do to allow here to come with me to the UK? Does she need a visa?

Do I need to work with the British conulate here in San Francisco?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Andre

[John]

Your wife will need to apply for an EEA Family Permit. Once granted she will effectively have the same EU/EEA rights as yourself, including to live and work in the UK, as long as you are actually exercising your Treaty Rights in the UK.

Go to this webpage and download the VAF1 application form, and also the INF18 Guidance Notes. Have a good read of those.

Also go to www.BritainUSA.com . There you will see the ability to apply for the EEA Family Permit online. The application fee is ... free! ... because of EU/EEA legislation.

The background to all this is that as you are a French Citizen you have certain Treaty Rights. But so do your Family Members, such as your wife and any minor children. However in order to prove that such family members do indeed have those Treaty Rights, they need an EEA Family Permit in their passport.

[JAJ]

The background to all this is that as you are a French Citizen you have certain Treaty Rights. But so do your Family Members, such as your wife and any minor children. However in order to prove that such family members do indeed have those Treaty Rights, they need an EEA Family Permit in their passport.

Minor children should also be French citizens.

After 5 years on EEA status (or a Family Permit), it's possible to obtain Permanent Residence. One year after that, it's possible to apply for British citizenship by naturalisation.

If intention is to stay in the UK medium term, this could be part of the plan.

[John]

Minor children should also be French citizens.

That depends! It depends upon whether the French Citizen is the father of those minor children. If so, then yes, those children would be French.

However those children might be his step-children, in which case they would not be French, and would indeed need their own EEA Family Permits.

[afrizat]

Yes indeee my minor child is a French national. I will apply for his passport soon (only 18months old).

Thank you for the help. I'll look over the mentionned documentation.

If I have further questions on this paperwork, who do I go to?

Cheers,

Andre

[John]

If I have further questions on this paperwork, who do I go to?

Andre, just post any queries you have here.

[afrizat]

What the difference between non-settlement and settlement?

We are planing for an extended stay, and who know, if we like it enough, could stay forever.

Thanks for your help.

Andre

[JAJ]

What the difference between non-settlement and settlement?

We are planing for an extended stay, and who know, if we like it enough, could stay forever.

Settlement : generally means a stay in the UK that is either permanent, or where there is an expectation that normally it will become permanent.

Non-settlement : a time limited stay.

[afrizat]

Can my wife apply for this visa once she has entered the UK?

thanks.

[John]

Can my wife apply for this visa once she has entered the UK?

No, she needs to apply for her EEA Family Permit in the States, as indicated in my post on 8th December. She must not pretend to be entering the UK as a visitor, when in truth that would amount to untrue statements needing to be made to the Immigration Officer at the UK port of entry.

Settlement? Non-settlement? If the context of that question is the forms VAF1 and VAF2, then it is the form VAF1 that is used to apply for an EEA Family Permit, and the great majority of the visa types dealt with by the VAF1 are not expected to lead to long-term residence in the UK. Maybe the answer to this is that the EEA Family Permit is issued for just a 6-month period, and then in the UK an application can be made for an extension ... a 5-year Residence Card ... also taking the format of a sticker in the US passport.

[afrizat]

As a French national moving to the UK, is there any paper work I should do before going to England? Nowhere do I see anything, but I prefer to double check.

Thanks!

Andre

[John]

As a French national moving to the UK, is there any paper work I should do before going to England?

As regards yourself, no, nothing at all to do. You have EU Treaty Rights that permit you to enter the UK and to work etc here.

As regards your spouse, well evidence such as your French passport will need to be supplied when the application for the EEA Family Permit is made. In other words your spouse does need to prove that they are indeed married to an EEA citizen ... you!