Delay EEA family permit aplication

Hello everyone!

I would like to know if someone has experience with a delay of an EEA family permit that can help me.

This is my case:

My husband is an EEA National, im Colombian. In june 02 this year we applied for an EEA family permit as a "durable realtionship" because we lived together in London and in Colombia, we also had been separated for some period of times he living in Uk and me living in Colombia, but we speak everyday, the application was refused because the CEO wasn't satisfy we weren't married.

So my partner came to Colombia and we've got married in the middle of july, Last time the negative answer from the embassy took 5 working days, the average processing time is 15 working days here, it has passed more than 20 working days and we have not answer yet.

We have proofs of cohabitation, e.mails, calls, pictures, we had a 3.5 years relationship before we got married, he come to Colombia 4 times, and last year stayed 6 months living with me with a tourist status , now we are scared they thinking we just got marriage of convinience, even having all the proofs , because of the first EEA family permit they refused , but we've got married because we really love each other and we are fed up to be apart. He is working in UK with a permanent contract. and has live there for about 4 years.

Is it a good idea to call the embassy??? even if they it can take 120 woking days?? this waiting time is awful

I appreciate any opinion, help or suggestion you could make
thank u

They were quick to respond when rejecting your first FP application, so hopefully the slow response is a sign that you will be more successful this time.

If it will make you feel better there is nothing to stop you making a polite phone call to enquire about your FP application.

Personally, I think it may be better if the EEA national - because he is the one with all the rights- emails the ECO complaints dept. of the UK Embassy politely explaining that he is a EEA national exercising Treaty Rights in the UK who is enquiring about an EEA FP application.

He could expain that his wife is a Colombian national whom he wants to join him in the UK, so she applied for a FP over 20 days ago - give the exact date.

Explain there has been no response since then, so he would like to know if the ECO received the application and if it is being processed.

"If you wish to complain about the service you received from the UK Border Agency at this Embassy, please address your complaint to the Entry Clearance Manager at British Embassy, Cra 9 # 76-49 Piso 9, Bogotá, by e-mail to visa_complaintsBogota@fco.gov.uk "

It is a new application, they have not refused it, so at this stage I would merely make a polite enquiry asking for confirmation that it is being processed and for an estimate on how long it will take to be processed.

nonspecifics wrote:They were quick to respond when rejecting your first FP application, so hopefully the slow response is a sign that you will be more successful this time.

That's just speculation, of course. The embassy hasn't accepted the relationship to be durable in the first application and might therefore look into a marriage of convenience now as the OP suspects. Again, that's just speculation.

A polite phone call is probably the best thing to do now. Followed up by a complaint to the entrance clearance manager (email address given above) and the UKBA complaint team if the answer is unsatisfactory. One month appears to be too excessive for an EEA application and might need explanation on behalf of the embassy

Thank you very much for your quick answers. My husband already sent an e-mail to the embassy as you advise me. As soon as we got the answer ill let you know what happen. thank u

Hello again! I really want to thank you both for your advise, and also wrote what happened because it may help those who are waiting like i was.

The embassy reply to my husband the e-mail saying that they didn't have any aplication with the reference number i had, and well i was worry they had lost my documents specially my passport because i have other visas there, so i decided to call and the girl how picked up the phone was super rude and didn't want even to listen to me, but at the end she talked to visas deparment and they checked properly and later found my documents and sent me an e-mail telling me that they had made a mistake and that's why i hadn't had any answer, they apologised and i went to the embassy to get the good news UKB approved my FP and it had been issue 20 days ago and well bad think we had to wait more than we supposed to, because it's awful that waiting but thanks to you we e-mailed the embassy and made the respective calls otherwise we would be still waiting due to the UKB website say not to call or ask for visa applications until they contact you, but it may be harmful in cases like mine that they made a mistake and didn't contact me when they supposed to.

Thanks a lot!