EEA National and Non-EEA National - Living in the UK
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 11:03 pm
Hello,
First of all, many thanks to the people who run and participate in this forum. I have already learned so much and I really appreciate your free help.
Now quickly about my situation. I am Dutch and my wife is Chinese. We got married last month in Denmark without any problems. I am working in the UK and my wife is currently in China finalising her studies. We have been together for 2 years, but we didn't live together during that time (at least no shared contracts).
After graduation she would like to join me in London and start working here, which is why she intends to apply for the EEA family permit. After doing some further research I found that also many applicants were rejected which is why I had some questions.
1- Is my marriage certificate (apostille) from Denmark enough to apply for the EEA family permit? I read that even married couples were rejected on the grounds that their relationship did not seem genius/serious enough. Would we need to be married for a certain time before applying? Should we attach additional information about our relationship? (What kind of information? letters?)
2- I am already working in the UK, but I don't have a residence card. I understand that I have to live for 5 years in the UK as a EU citizen to apply for a residence card, right? Would my wife need to be working or a student in China when applying?
3 - I understand that the EEA family permit is only valid for 6 months, but could she already get a job during that time and apply easily for the residence card to continue her job?
4 - What is the success rate of applications with similar circumstances and how long does it take?
5 - Would you recommend to use an immigration lawyer for the application and does this increase the chances?
Many thanks in advance!
Rob
First of all, many thanks to the people who run and participate in this forum. I have already learned so much and I really appreciate your free help.
Now quickly about my situation. I am Dutch and my wife is Chinese. We got married last month in Denmark without any problems. I am working in the UK and my wife is currently in China finalising her studies. We have been together for 2 years, but we didn't live together during that time (at least no shared contracts).
After graduation she would like to join me in London and start working here, which is why she intends to apply for the EEA family permit. After doing some further research I found that also many applicants were rejected which is why I had some questions.
1- Is my marriage certificate (apostille) from Denmark enough to apply for the EEA family permit? I read that even married couples were rejected on the grounds that their relationship did not seem genius/serious enough. Would we need to be married for a certain time before applying? Should we attach additional information about our relationship? (What kind of information? letters?)
2- I am already working in the UK, but I don't have a residence card. I understand that I have to live for 5 years in the UK as a EU citizen to apply for a residence card, right? Would my wife need to be working or a student in China when applying?
3 - I understand that the EEA family permit is only valid for 6 months, but could she already get a job during that time and apply easily for the residence card to continue her job?
4 - What is the success rate of applications with similar circumstances and how long does it take?
5 - Would you recommend to use an immigration lawyer for the application and does this increase the chances?
Many thanks in advance!
Rob