Please Help! EEA family application

[xris]

Hi everyone,

I have been advised to come to this forum as it offers great and very useful advice to people on their applications and hope you can help me.

I'm about to get married. My to be wife is a German but has been living in the UK for 9 years. And have been working all through. With current employer for about 4 years and have all the p60s and payslips to prove that( she also earns well above the £18k mark).
I am a Ghanaian and working as well.We have known each other for 7months and have extensive proof of communication.

I intend to make an EEA FP application to join her after about a week we are married.

My questions are
1 - is it too soon to make an application just after marriage ( we are worried about the marriage of convenience tag and also not having met each other several times). But to be honest, I really want to be with my wife as we have decided to live in the UK. What's the point in being married if we won't be living together.
2 - on the form there is a section asking leaving and return date. Please what do I put as the date as I really do not really have a return date or should I just enter any date?
3 - we do not know what the cover letter my wife will write stating she wants me to join her should contain. Please can you help us with a draft. we will really appreciate it.
4 - I have had a visitors visa refusal will that affect my application?
5 - is it better to lodge the application using a solicitor ( just don't know if we have to as we have all the documents required and more)
6 - sorry the last question. Under the purpose of travel, I was told the option that my wife will be accompanying me is better than joining.. Is that true?( I thot as an adult and being that my wife lives in UK I can travel alone to Join her)

We hope your advices and suggestions will keep us on the right track.

Please ask any questions. We will really appreciate every response and advice we get.

Sorry for the lengthy post.. just getting it all off my head!
Many thanks to you all.

[Jambo]

1. No although as you said you might need to provide some evidence of a genuine relationship to avoid the need to appeal the decision.

2. Either empty or just put a date (if using the online application as you can't move to the next page without putting a date).

3. "I [name], citizen of [country] wishes my husband [name] to join me in the UK". That's all.

4. No.

5. The application is simple and should not require a solicitor but you can involve one if you wish to. You just need to provide a copy of your wife's passport, proof of her work in the UK (payslips), marriage certificate (and maybe more proof of relationship). That's all.

6. No difference.

[xris]

Thank you very much Jambo for the prompt response.So we don't need to refer to the EE directive and all that in the letter ( sorry I have been told a lot) that why I came on here

1. No although as you said you might need to provide some evidence of a genuine relationship to avoid the need to appeal the decision.
.

2. Either empty or just put a date (if using the online application as you can't move to the next page without putting a date).

3. "I [name], citizen of [country] wishes my husband [name] to join me in the UK". That's all.

4. No.

5. The application is simple and should not require a solicitor but you can involve one if you wish to. You just need to provide a copy of your wife's passport, proof of her work in the UK (payslips), marriage certificate (and maybe more proof of relationship). That's all.

6. No difference.

[Jambo]

You can write a longer letter but that is not required. The ECO processing your application knows it's a application under the EEA regulations. He should also know the rules and if he doesn't, you stating them in the letter won't educate him.

The only advantage might be showing that you are knowledgeable in the rules so they can't pull tricks on you but I don't believe it will actually change the decision.

You can search the forum for example (longer) cover letters if you wish.

[xris]

Thank you.

You can write a longer letter but that is not required. The ECO processing your application knows it's a application under the EEA regulations. He should also know the rules and if he doesn't, you stating them in the letter won't educate him.

The only advantage might be showing that you are knowledgeable in the rules so they can't pull tricks on you but I don't believe it will actually change the decision.

You can search the forum for example (longer) cover letters if you wish.