Advice on moving to the UK

Morbeous · Post by **Morbeous** » Fri Jun 26, 2020 9:18 pm

I am a British citizen currently living in Ireland with my non-EU wife. We lived in Spain for a year where she had an EUFAM residence card then we moved to Ireland in 2016. We have been in Ireland nearly 4 years and here she has a Stamp4 residency permit which is the same as an EUFAM. All these years we have been living with me as self sufficient. Funds are now running low and i am finding it hard to get a job in Ireland in the area that we live. I usually get the response that I am either too experienced or over qualified for what I apply for.

The question is would she be able to move to the UK with me on the basis of the residency permit that she has in Ireland and exchange that for a UK residency permit. There are many more jobs in the UK that I can apply for which are based around the skills that I have. The only other option would be to stay in Ireland until funds run out then move to Azerbaijan which is her home country.

Many thanks for any advice given

Darren

iwolga · Post by **iwolga** » Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:40 pm

My advice is to do everything possible for her to qualify for Irish passport, then leave ROI. Otherwise she will need to start from scratch in UK.

Islandson · Post by **Islandson** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 8:54 am

@Morbeous, we too lived in Ireland and I know it can be tough over there. But I agree with iwolga, if you'll leave and come to the UK, you'll have to start over. Try and rally through until your wife gets Irish citizenship; 2 years is better than 6 for your wife to get settled/citizenship here.

As for your cv, sad to say but dumb it down a little if you're too qualified. OR, in the current environment, look for work in the EU that allows remote working...

I hope for the best for you and your wife

Zerubbabel · Post by **Zerubbabel** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 9:30 am

I sympathise with the advice from @iwolga

You were in Spain then left for Ireland were your wife had to start her immigration journey from day now.

Now, after a few years, you want to move to the UK. The Home Office will not "exchange" the Irish leave against a British one. She will start her immigration journey again as if she just landed in the UK from some remote place.

For you, as a British citizen, this is not a big deal but for your non-EEA wife, it's a life under precarious conditions with always limited residence permits. If one day your relationship collapses or God forbid something happens to you, she will come to this forum where we will tell her that her only only option is to go home. Despite having lived many years in Europe, she wouldn't have any right as she kept touring.

I am also a British citizen with non-EEA wife. And I miss amazing opportunities elsewhere in the EU just because I want to protect my other half. It's important that she reaches the British citizenship and feels settled for good. Mind you, she left her home country 20 years ago.

This is not a rant or anything, but just to open your eyes about some realities.

Try to see if you can't find a bedsit near your job in the UK and return to Ireland every other weekend to keep a footprint there or something.

Otherwise, if you insist going to the UK, check "Surinder Singh" route.

Br28016 · Post by **Br28016** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 12:13 pm

Tend to agree that if possible try and stay long enough to qualify for Irish passport and get it for both of you. Means can both live in any EU country which is a big plus.

If really no option and have to move to UK then my brief reading of appendix EU is that you would be a qualifying British citizen and she should be able to go for EU settlement scheme if you move fairly quickly.

Also worth trying to think ahead on what job situation will be like post Covid and post Brexit. Not sure what your background is but may be more opportunities for remote working. Also may be a lot less jobs.

Irish passport would allow easy move to UK under common travel area rules so probably one of best in Europe to have.

Morbeous · Post by **Morbeous** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 8:46 pm

Zerubbabel wrote: ↑
Sat Jun 27, 2020 9:30 am
I sympathise with the advice from @iwolga

You were in Spain then left for Ireland were your wife had to start her immigration journey from day now.

Now, after a few years, you want to move to the UK. The Home Office will not "exchange" the Irish leave against a British one. She will start her immigration journey again as if she just landed in the UK from some remote place.

For you, as a British citizen, this is not a big deal but for your non-EEA wife, it's a life under precarious conditions with always limited residence permits. If one day your relationship collapses or God forbid something happens to you, she will come to this forum where we will tell her that her only only option is to go home. Despite having lived many years in Europe, she wouldn't have any right as she kept touring.

I am also a British citizen with non-EEA wife. And I miss amazing opportunities elsewhere in the EU just because I want to protect my other half. It's important that she reaches the British citizenship and feels settled for good. Mind you, she left her home country 20 years ago.

This is not a rant or anything, but just to open your eyes about some realities.

Try to see if you can't find a bedsit near your job in the UK and return to Ireland every other weekend to keep a footprint there or something.

Otherwise, if you insist going to the UK, check "Surinder Singh" route.

Under Surinder Singh how would I prove I have been living self sufficient? Is the fact that we got the EUStamp4 card evidence enough as we wouldn't have got that otherwise?

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