Immigrationboards.com

hi, i'm an EU citizen living and working in the UK for the last couple of months.
My girlfriend for the past few years is a non EU who lives outside the UK,
We would like to apply for a EEA spouce visa.

My question is: do we even stand a chance for a positive response from the home office if we can only provide: pictures, friends and family testimonials, correspondence (text messages), flight tickets that I purchesed for her etc.
but we can't provide a formal proofe of joint living since we didn't live together due to traditional reasons.

Will getting married in my home EU country will make it easier for her to receive a working permit?

Thank you.
Lenny

That won't be sufficient. Getting married will.

Do you know if such marriage would be recognised by the home office?
If so how long does it take to approve her working visa? Still about 6 months?

Well if you are in a durable relationship over the period you stated in your post, which can be attested by friends and family, and independant organisation or institutions, over a certain period of time, that the only reason you did not cohabitate as defacto man and wife, was due to traditional or religious reasons, that your have joint financial committment, that you intend to get hitched (married) soon, that could prove the existence of a durable relationship.

Cultural Norms will have to be taken into consideration in assessing the durability of a marriage.

Once she is accepted and issued an EEA family permit as your durable partner, she will have the right to work i suppose.