My personal experience is sadly complete opposite of average 2 months.... Our application started in november 2012 as stated here earlier : EEA2 applied 22/11/12
COA received week later but with no right to work ( did not bother us , as my wife was pregnant at that time )
straightforward husband and wife with no kids or other family members application rejected after more than 7 months ( I have suspicion that they were deliberately dragging their feet in order to force us to pay or new fee or appeal ) - the best part was their explanation why they refused wife's RC - they stated that I have proved that I pay regular taxes and have regular work related income as a self-employed person but I have not shown any economic activity therefore RC got refused.... I'd like to see the clever and bright fella who actually decided our application. Anyway I got seriously upset, even more so when I realised they were about to start charging EEA related fee ( and my suspicion is that is exactly why they tried to do what they did ) so wrote them a letter asking to reconsider or reapply stating that if work related income and more than 10 years of paying taxes is not a sign of economic activity I would like them to tell me what in their opinion is. Also in no uncertain terms I explained that my wife is most definitely not making any plans to leave the country and as she is about to give birth any day nor she has it in mind for foreseeable future . 3 days later we got new COA with right to work so I think someone with bit of brain looked into it ( last day before they started charging for it ) and I hope we can finally get her RC in few months time - or I might be dreaming yet again as with UKBA or whatever they 're called these days nothing will ever surprise me
Simple paying tax or NI does not means that the person is an economically active.
You can solve this issue by sending sell and purchase receipts,bank transactions which proofs that the person is an economically active in the society.
Your refusal reason is totally non professionalism.
Imshzd I would kind of understand that if only what I sent was NI or tax payments, but I sent 7 or 8 years of full tax return print out, complete with all expenses and income , my london taxi licence, black cab hire and repayments, taxi insurance for good few months and a covering letter explaining why I do not need an accountant or a business account, garage receipts etc... First so called UKBA wouldn't spot that my wife is in fact my wife, therefore providing she wanted she would be allowed to work, then 7 months later after agreeing that I have " work related income and pay tax from it " they still wanted to see some signs of economic activity. So I'm still waiting for their explanation what exactly in their opinion is being economically active as clearly being london black cab driver is not the case.
After many and many phone calls and letters UKBA answered in june 2013 and invited us to attend an interview, which was not possible as my wife was just about to give birth and labour ward was already expected her and all that ( we had our son 4th of july last year, interview was planned for 6th... ) after my explanation and letter from GP, hospital and midwife UKBA went quiet again and in november 2012 they finally refused as according to them not attending an interview is their proof that we have entered a marriage of convenience and that also I still have not provided them with the evidence that I exercise my right as they can not see that I am economically active...

. That made me really really angry, but somehow I managed to send fairly polite letter in which I stated that we could not attend an interview as my wife was having a baby at the very time their asked to see us, I pointed out that we have sent explanation and the evidence of that too, I asked how can they even state that we entered marriage of convenience as their own rules prohibit them to question marriage where there is a child and last but not the least what they consider to be economically active as I send them 2755 grams of evidence that I am a london black cab driver, I pay tax, NINO run my cab, series it and keep it insured etc.... last week they refused us AGAIn , stating that we have not attended the interview, therefore we have entered a marriage of convenience and according to them I still do not exercise EU treaty rights.... Already sent copy of everything to my MP and I am seriously considering sending them to court, yet UKBA is adamant that they are right and I am wrong... so nothing and I do mean NOTHING will surprise me anymore , as long as there is UKBA or any of their latest re incarnation involvement, I am planning and preparing for the worst possible outcome and/or utter disregard for the law from their side. so in my case so far 14 months and counting ... with my wife never even been in the UK before so no adverse history, no extended family, we have a child together, I have been living and working in UK for last 10 years or so, yet UKBA keep reiterating that A I do not exercise my rights B we have entered a marriage of convenience with both of their claims utter nonsense, but no matter how much evidence to the contrary I send them, it is all send back few months later and their answer is exactly the same...