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EEA family permit Applying in UK better or from abroad?

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 5:41 am
by yogsmith
EEA family permit applying in UK (I am already in UK on Post study work visa) is better or from India? It takes minimum 10 days and maximum 30 days to receive visa according to UKBA EEA family visa processing time in India.

It takes around 4-6 months to receive EEA family permit visa if I am applying inside the UK which is really long waiting time. I am planning to go India after 3 months time with my partner to meet my parents (we already have document of our Civil partnership).
If I apply EEA family visa from India, will I get 6 months or 5 years family visa? The list of supporting documents will be same for either UK or India or maybe different? It is too difficult to find out. Will you people please help me if you have knowledge about it?
Thanks in advance.
:)

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 7:23 am
by Jambo
The EEA Family Permit serves as an entry clearance ("visa") to enter the UK and is only valid for 6 months.. As you are already in the UK, it is not needed. You should apply for a 5 years Residence Card using form EEA2. The required evidence is similar.

However, If you current visa expire and you don't get your Residence Card before your travel, you will need to apply for EEA Family Permit from India (even after applying for the Residence Card in the UK), otherwise you won't be able to board the flight back to the UK as you won't have a valid visa to show the airline.

EDIT: From your other post, it seems that you have a valid PSW. In that case, you can use that to show the airline and will not need a EEA Family Permit. Applying to a 5 years Residence Card doesn't invalidate the PSW visa and the two can co-exist.