Hi there
Please see below the blue highlighted words relevant to your concern, the UK authorities interprets the regulations based on that EU national must be exercising treaty rights on the date of the lawful termination of the marriage which equals the date of decree absolute, it is one of the horrible things one need to prove that their separated partner must be exercising treaty rights during the divorce process which is totally unfair because it gives the opportunity to the EU separated partner to damage the non eu separated partner's immigration status in a very easy way.
What about your situation?
“Family member who has retained the right of residence”
10.—(1) In these Regulations, “family member who has retained the right of residence” means,
subject to paragraph (8), a person who satisfies the conditions in paragraph (2), (3), (4) or (5).
(2) A person satisfies the conditions in this paragraph if—
(a) he was a family member of a qualified person when the qualified person died;
(b) he resided in the United Kingdom in accordance with these Regulations for at least the
year immediately before the death of the qualified person; and
(c) he satisfies the condition in paragraph (6).
(3) A person satisfies the conditions in this paragraph if—
(a) he is the direct descendant of—
(i) a qualified person who has died;
(ii) a person who ceased to be a qualified person on ceasing to reside in the United
Kingdom; or
(iii) the person who was the spouse or civil partner of the qualified person mentioned in
sub-paragraph (i) when he died or is the spouse or civil partner of the person
mentioned in sub-paragraph (ii); and
(b) he was attending an educational course in the United Kingdom immediately before the
qualified person died or ceased to be a qualified person and continues to attend such a
course.
(4) A person satisfies the conditions in this paragraph if the person is the parent with actual
custody of a child who satisfies the condition in paragraph (3).
(5) A person satisfies the conditions in this paragraph if—
(a) he ceased to be a family member of a qualified person on the termination of the marriage
or civil partnership of the qualified person;
(b) he was residing in the United Kingdom in accordance with these Regulations at the date
of the termination;
(c) he satisfies the condition in paragraph (6); and
(d) either—
(i) prior to the initiation of the proceedings for the termination of the marriage or the
civil partnership the marriage or civil partnership had lasted for at least three years
and the parties to the marriage or civil partnership had resided in the United
Kingdom for at least one year during its duration; 9
(ii) the former spouse or civil partner of the qualified person has custody of a child of the
qualified person;
(iii) the former spouse or civil partner of the qualified person has the right of access to a
child of the qualified person under the age of 18 and a court has ordered that such
access must take place in the United Kingdom; or
(iv) the continued right of residence in the United Kingdom of the person is warranted by
particularly difficult circumstances, such as he or another family member having
been a victim of domestic violence while the marriage or civil partnership was
subsisting.
(6) The condition in this paragraph is that the person—
(a) is not an EEA national but would, if he were an EEA national, be a worker, a selfemployed person or a self-sufficient person under regulation 6; or
(b) is the family member of a person who falls within paragraph (a).
(7) In this regulation, “educational course” means a course within the scope of Article 12 of
Council Regulation (EEC) No. 1612/68 on freedom of movement for workers(a).
(8) A person with a permanent right of residence under regulation 15 shall not become a family
member who has retained the right of residence on the death or departure from the United
Kingdom of the qualified person or the termination of the marriage or civil partnership, as the case
may be, and a family member who has retained the right of residence shall cease to have that
status on acquiring a permanent right of residence under regulation 15.