Attempting to get EEA1 Croydon appt - Any advice?

[yosho]

Hi there,

New to this forum, and it looks like a great resource!

I've been trying to book an online appointment for EEA1 same-day service via Croydon for the last few months now via the UKBA website, but have never once seen a single available appointment.

I've tried at all times of day, and several times precisely at midnight, when the next available day appears on the date selection calendar. Yet I've never seen a single one.

I called the UKBA Croydon office to ask about this, and they told me that appointments do exist, but that there are very few and they are snapped up in seconds when they become available.

Has anyone been successful in getting one of these same-day appointments by booking online? If so, what strategy did you use for securing it? Is it just something I have to keep trying and trying at midnight for? - On that note, is it better to be logged in already when the clock strikes midnight, and then do a quick page refresh, or do you need to be logged out until after midnight for it to work? (A few times that I've tried the first option, the page has lagged out / given me an error when I tried to refresh after midnight, losing my time edge). Also, I always wonder whether I'm doing it wrong, as the date selection calendar allows you to select a future date up to about 3 months in advance, yet it tells you 'Do not select a date more than 42 days in the future', which is a pretty arbitrary number. I've tried both and it seems to make no difference?

Any advice appreciated! I'd much prefer the Croydon route to the 6-month mail-in, as I travel frequently on short notice!

Many thanks,

[Stefan-TR]

Any advice appreciated! I'd much prefer the Croydon route to the 6-month mail-in, as I travel frequently on short notice!

For EEA1 you can mail in your ID card and keep your passport (or vice-versa) and travelling shouldn't be an issue.

A colleague who recently went for in-person ILR appointments only got those by trying around midnight for a few days. I'm not sure about the specifics; I had sent him this link: http://londonseye.blogspot.com/2012/10/ ... -home.html and it worked for him.

[yosho]

Cool, thanks for that web link - that's just what I needed! I'll let you know if it works!

[Jambo]

Why do you want a Registration Certificate?

It's not needed to support applications from abroad. It is not needed to support applications in country. The only possible benefit I can think of is in case your partner wants to apply for a Residence Card (EEA2) and you hope that by sending just a Registration Certificate, the HO won't ask to see your passport again. Is that the case?

[sheraz7]

Hi there,

New to this forum, and it looks like a great resource!

I've been trying to book an online appointment for EEA1 same-day service via Croydon for the last few months now via the UKBA website, but have never once seen a single available appointment.

I've tried at all times of day, and several times precisely at midnight, when the next available day appears on the date selection calendar. Yet I've never seen a single one.

I called the UKBA Croydon office to ask about this, and they told me that appointments do exist, but that there are very few and they are snapped up in seconds when they become available.

Has anyone been successful in getting one of these same-day appointments by booking online? If so, what strategy did you use for securing it? Is it just something I have to keep trying and trying at midnight for? - On that note, is it better to be logged in already when the clock strikes midnight, and then do a quick page refresh, or do you need to be logged out until after midnight for it to work? (A few times that I've tried the first option, the page has lagged out / given me an error when I tried to refresh after midnight, losing my time edge). Also, I always wonder whether I'm doing it wrong, as the date selection calendar allows you to select a future date up to about 3 months in advance, yet it tells you 'Do not select a date more than 42 days in the future', which is a pretty arbitrary number. I've tried both and it seems to make no difference?

Any advice appreciated! I'd much prefer the Croydon route to the 6-month mail-in, as I travel frequently on short notice!

Many thanks,

The same day appointments are usually be available 42 days before but according to Regulations 16 of 2006 a qualified EEA national must be issued its Registration certificate immediately upon application which in theory as per UKBA caseworker guidance is 20 days.
Refer to 4.3 of the link:
http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/siteco ... iew=Binary

[yosho]

Why do you want a Registration Certificate?

It's not needed to support applications from abroad. It is not needed to support applications in country. The only possible benefit I can think of is in case your partner wants to apply for a Residence Card (EEA2) and you hope that by sending just a Registration Certificate, the HO won't ask to see your passport again. Is that the case?

Hi, thanks for the concern.

My (non-EU) partner still lives abroad. I intend to return to her country next year, apply for her EU family permit, then have her accompany me here to the UK. I had the intention of securing my EEA1 now as I had read on the UKBA policy guidance that evidence of having secured this can help (though is not required) for the partner's EU family permit application. (Indeed, I notice on the online EU family permit application form, there is a space where one can enter the EU partner's EEA1 certificate number).

Am I mistaken here, is it really not at all important? I really want to get the family permit application right the first time, so I'm trying to put everything in place for it to go as smoothly as possible.

Thanks!

[Jambo]

I had the intention of securing my EEA1 now as I had read on the UKBA policy guidance that evidence of having secured this can help (though is not required) for the partner's EU family permit application.

It is not more important than other evidence you can provide to prove you exercise treaty rights (such as a payslip or a letter from employer/university).