imadil41 wrote: ↑Tue May 14, 2019 1:08 pm
I was given 6 months EEA family permit which is going to expire on 3rd of July, 2019. When and how should I start my next application?
ASAP. No need, and indeed, no reason to, let it nealry expire before preparing and submiting your application.
Will it be for Residence Card or for the status of Pre-settled EEA family member
Either. There had been some discussions on other threads on this forum around which one is best, and the bottom line answer seems to be, it's up to you. Some facts that might help you decide which one is best for your case:
Residence Card:
-Costs £65
-Takes around a month to be issued, from application date to card delivery
-Allows you to travel visa-free to other EU countries if you travel with your spouse
-Expires in December 31st 2020 (regardless of issue date)
-Recognized by immigration officials at UK airports as appropriate residence documentation to allow you in
All info for Residence Card here:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-a-uk-residence-card
Pre-Settled status:
-Is free
-Decision time in most cases takes around 2 weeks, without counting the time to issue physical card.
-Does not allow you to travel visa free to other EU countries.
-Expires 5 years from issue date
-
The online/digital status is insufficient to allow entry into the UK on its own, and
you need to make sure you are applying for a physical card as well (I'm unsure how this process goes, of any added cost to this, and how much longer this takes, but there is definitely a process in place. If anyone can offer some detail, please share!).
All info for pre-Settled Status here:
https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families
If in doubt, you can always apply for both. They are not mutually exclusive. if you do this, it might be faster to apply for the residence card, then once you have it, to apply for Pre-Settled status, as in this way you can use the Android app.
or any other?
The above are the only two options for immigration documentation specifically for EU family members.
Remember that it is non biomatric EEA family permit!
You can apply for both, regardless of you having only a non-biometric EEA family permit. Again, if you decide to go for both, then having a BRC first, helps to get the other one faster, but this is not necessary.
My posts express what I believe are the facts, based on the best of my knowledge, about the topics discussed in this forum. They do not constitute immigration advice.