Dual British & EEA nationality,can you choose the EEA ro

[apriliapegaso28]

I'm an EEA citizen married to a non-EEA one. We applied for her Residence Card with the EEA2 form following the European law.

I am thinking about becoming British citizen as well and have a dual British and EEA nationality. It seems to me that UK Immigration and the UKBA are a lot harder and more expensive than applying for the same thing for her via the EEA route, so I was wondering, will we be able to choose which route we use for future applications if I get such a dual nationality? or do I need to always use the UK route if I become British?

[nonspecifics]

Even though you take British citizenship, you can continue to use the EU route too. You are not then forced into the British citizens' much stricter immigration route.

That's why you get the Surinder Singh situation where British citizens go to another EEA country, such as Ireland, to live and work and then come back to the UK as residents of Ireland exercising Treaty Rights (not as British citizens), so they can then use the EEA route of Immigration instead of the British Immigration laws.

(check your country allows dual nationality, so you don't lose your original nationality.)

Just curious, If you are the EEA national, why would you want British citizenship rather than permanent residence as an EEA national? ( Unless you plan to stay out of the UK for more than 2 years? ).

British citizens are treated like dirt by their own Government.

I can see much more advantages in your wife getting British citizenship if she is non-EEA, so it's easier to travel etc as an EEA national.

[apriliapegaso28]

Thanks, I didn't know about the Surinder Singh situation, interesting....

My thinking is kind of like yours, I'm not quite sure why I could need the British nationality in the future but as we both have families abroad, I'm not quite sure if at some point we'll need to stay out of the UK longer than 2 years and then we might have problems coming back.

I was asking about advantages/disadvantages regarding the British citizenship for EEA nationals in another post to see if I'm not thinking about something basic that could affect us badly in the future, I'm going to read other people's views now there...

http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=83446