Immigrationboards.com

Hello there,

I am a Finnish citizen considering to move to UK and search for a job there. I am currently self employed in Finland, but I am shutting down my business by the end of June and move to UK and find a job there.
My wife currently lives in Pakistan, we got married in August 2013 (in Pakistan), but we could only spend a couple of months together after marriage, because she had to complete her studies in Pakistan and I had to work in Finland. I would like her to join me in the UK immediately after I move there. According to my understanding, she can get a visa even when I am a jobseeker, but will she have to show a sponsorship or some other type of financial guarantee to get EEA family permit? I do have some savings that will get us through first four to six months, also our parents are willing to support us financially just in case we or one of us cannot find job during first six months. We can stay at my brother's place in London for a month or so, unless we find a suitable house for ourselves. He has a three bedroom house, where he lives with his wife and two infants. He is willing to write us an invitation letter to attach with her visa application.

There is a slight ambiguity in my mind, since I'll be traveling to UK from Finland say by the start of July, can I apply her visa right now mentioning that I am currently in Finland but I'll move to UK in July and get myself registered as a jobseeker. I can also attach a copy of my ticket to prove I'll be there by start of July, and a copy of her reservation that she'll be there say by mid July? Because according www.gov.uk EEA citizen either must be present in UK or must be traveling to UK with non-EEA family member. Although I'll be in UK before her arrival, but at the time of submitting application (and possibly by the time of decision on application) I won't be in UK, and we won't be traveling together either. So...?

Is there anything else we should know or do before we put her application?

your wife can apply for a family permit from Pakistan to join you over here.
but you need to get some stuff sorted out first:
1- apply for a NIN when you get here.( might be tricky if you do not have a job or job offer)
2- open a bank account and transfer your saving over here.
3- make sure your marriage is legally recognized in UK ( your wife will supply the certificate as part of her application).
4- try to get some sort of bills on your name ( rent, council tax, phone...etc). you said you will stay with your brother but those will help.
5- most importanly, try to find a job
get all these sorted, send them over with a copy of your passport, a cover letter from you explaining the situation and then she can apply for a Family permit from there. i think it is still free of charge and if issued, it is valid for 6 months.
do not rush it and make sure you get everything ready before you submit an application. personally i would not advise to apply while you are a job seeker.

sure some one will add more comments/ inputs shortly.

out of curiosity, did you try to apply for Finnish residency for her or even a spouse visa?

FOR EEA family permit, you DONT need to show bank statement. You just need the following for your wife EEA family permit.

1. EEA FP application form + passport size photo
2. Declaration cover letter from both, that she will be joining you
3. Marriage certificate (attested/legalised)
4. Copy of your finish passport (attested)
5. Proof of genuine relationship (emails, fb chat, skype log, marriage certificate, wedding pictures. etc)

Thats all i guess. Later once you both arrive in UK then you will need to do abit of paperwork for EEA1 and EEA2 residence permit. I had the similar situation but other way round, my wifes Norwegian and I applied EEA FP from Saudi. Got the EEA FP in 11 days.

Hope that helps.

umerkhan wrote:Hello there,

I am a Finnish citizen considering to move to UK and search for a job there. I am currently self employed in Finland, but I am shutting down my business by the end of June and move to UK and find a job there.
My wife currently lives in Pakistan, we got married in August 2013 (in Pakistan), but we could only spend a couple of months together after marriage, because she had to complete her studies in Pakistan and I had to work in Finland. I would like her to join me in the UK immediately after I move there. According to my understanding, she can get a visa even when I am a jobseeker, but will she have to show a sponsorship or some other type of financial guarantee to get EEA family permit? I do have some savings that will get us through first four to six months, also our parents are willing to support us financially just in case we or one of us cannot find job during first six months. We can stay at my brother's place in London for a month or so, unless we find a suitable house for ourselves. He has a three bedroom house, where he lives with his wife and two infants. He is willing to write us an invitation letter to attach with her visa application.

There is a slight ambiguity in my mind, since I'll be traveling to UK from Finland say by the start of July, can I apply her visa right now mentioning that I am currently in Finland but I'll move to UK in July and get myself registered as a jobseeker. I can also attach a copy of my ticket to prove I'll be there by start of July, and a copy of her reservation that she'll be there say by mid July? Because according http://www.gov.uk EEA citizen either must be present in UK or must be traveling to UK with non-EEA family member. Although I'll be in UK before her arrival, but at the time of submitting application (and possibly by the time of decision on application) I won't be in UK, and we won't be traveling together either. So...?

Is there anything else we should know or do before we put her application?

Did you apply for a UK FP?? How long did it take?