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I'm an EU citizen and have been in the UK for 5 years. The first year as a student, and the next 4 years working.

I am in the process of filling in the EEA (PR) form in order to obtain a document certifying PR.

I am aware this is optional; I am only doing this in the hopes of speeding up the naturalization process that I will follow next year. I am currently not eligible for naturalization, since I need to be be PR for 1 year before starting that process.

So here is my question: In the EEA (PR) form, I am asked to provide evidence of Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) for the period while I was a student. During that period, I did have an EHIC card, issued by my EU country. I also got registered to my university's GP (after showing that card I believe).

However, I no longer have that card. Since I started working, I have had private medical insurance so I had no use for my old EHIC card, I threw it away. I now even have a new EHIC card, issued by the UK.

So the question of course is.. what do I do? Will my application be rejected because of lack of evidence of comprehensive medical insurance while I was studying? Is there something - anything at all I can do? Really frustrated about this.

johnk wrote:I'm an EU citizen and have been in the UK for 5 years. The first year as a student, and the next 4 years working.

I am in the process of filling in the EEA (PR) form in order to obtain a document certifying PR.

I am aware this is optional; I am only doing this in the hopes of speeding up the naturalization process that I will follow next year. I am currently not eligible for naturalization, since I need to be be PR for 1 year before starting that process.

So here is my question: In the EEA (PR) form, I am asked to provide evidence of Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) for the period while I was a student. During that period, I did have an EHIC card, issued by my EU country. I also got registered to my university's GP (after showing that card I believe).

However, I no longer have that card. Since I started working, I have had private medical insurance so I had no use for my old EHIC card, I threw it away. I now even have a new EHIC card, issued by the UK.

So the question of course is.. what do I do? Will my application be rejected because of lack of evidence of comprehensive medical insurance while I was studying? Is there something - anything at all I can do? Really frustrated about this.

The HO does play hardball and without adequate supporting evidence (in any/all areas of your application) you do risk a refusal.

Can you contact the EHIC authorities from your country?
suggest ask for a letter of confirmation of the fact you previously had an EHIC.

Another longshot: did you have a UK RC issued to you as a student up to or before 2011?
If so, there was a transitional arrangement that you may be able to take advantage of;
if you can use it, that arrangement would exempt you from having to have held CSI as a student.

noajthan wrote:

johnk wrote:I'm an EU citizen and have been in the UK for 5 years. The first year as a student, and the next 4 years working.

I am in the process of filling in the EEA (PR) form in order to obtain a document certifying PR.

I am aware this is optional; I am only doing this in the hopes of speeding up the naturalization process that I will follow next year. I am currently not eligible for naturalization, since I need to be be PR for 1 year before starting that process.

So here is my question: In the EEA (PR) form, I am asked to provide evidence of Comprehensive Sickness Insurance (CSI) for the period while I was a student. During that period, I did have an EHIC card, issued by my EU country. I also got registered to my university's GP (after showing that card I believe).

However, I no longer have that card. Since I started working, I have had private medical insurance so I had no use for my old EHIC card, I threw it away. I now even have a new EHIC card, issued by the UK.

So the question of course is.. what do I do? Will my application be rejected because of lack of evidence of comprehensive medical insurance while I was studying? Is there something - anything at all I can do? Really frustrated about this.

The HO does play hardball and without adequate supporting evidence (in any/all areas of your application) you do risk a refusal.

Can you contact the EHIC authorities from your country?
suggest ask for a letter of confirmation of the fact you previously had an EHIC.

Another longshot: did you have a UK RC issued to you as a student up to or before 2011?
If so, there was a transitional arrangement that you may be able to take advantage of;
if you can use it, that arrangement would exempt you from having to have held CSI as a student.

Thank you very much for your reply noajthan.

I'm not very optimistic they previous EHIC authorities will be helpful.. But I'll certainly give it a shot. What if that doesn't work?

On your second point: No I've never had a RC issued, since I'm a EEA national and never needed one.


I am now thinking of not going for the EEA (PR) form at all at this point; instead, wait a year and go straight to naturalisation. Next year, I'll be 6 years in the UK - 5 as a working professional and 1 as student. Thus, my assumption is that I'll need to prove I exercise treaty rights for the 'last 5 years' (not including my studying time). Thus, I won't have to get the CSI evidence. Is my logic correct?

johnk wrote:Thank you very much for your reply noajthan.

I'm not very optimistic they previous EHIC authorities will be helpful.. But I'll certainly give it a shot. What if that doesn't work? I mean even if I don't apply for the PR certificate this year, next year when I'll do my naturalisation, I'll still need evidence of CSI while student, right?

On your second point: No I've never had a RC issued, since I'm a EEA national and never needed one.

If you don't have evidence of CSI (or at least EHIC) your time as a student will, unfortunately, not count.
You would risk refusal of any application to naturalise if you relied on your time as a student.

Your PR clock would only have started when you started working;
it means the whole timeline for acquiring PR (then potentially applying to naturalise) would shift out to the right by one year or so.

noajthan wrote:

johnk wrote:Thank you very much for your reply noajthan.

I'm not very optimistic they previous EHIC authorities will be helpful.. But I'll certainly give it a shot. What if that doesn't work? I mean even if I don't apply for the PR certificate this year, next year when I'll do my naturalisation, I'll still need evidence of CSI while student, right?

On your second point: No I've never had a RC issued, since I'm a EEA national and never needed one.

If you don't have evidence of CSI (or at least EHIC) your time as a student will, unfortunately, not count.
You would risk refusal of any application to naturalise if you relied on your time as a student.

Your PR clock would only have started when you started working;
it means the whole timeline for acquiring PR (then potentially applying to naturalise) would shift out to the right by one year or so.

Thank you again noajthan. I think this makes sense now.

It seems that I'll either have to produce evidence that I held an EHIC during my study time OR delay the naturalisation application for one year, so that the study time doesn't count.

This is frustrating - wish I knew this back then, before I threw away my expired EHIC card...