Italian Visa for Non EU Spouse

[GregoryP]

Hi,

I was hoping to get some advice or first hand experiences relating to my situation. Thanks to everyone who may have any information that may help.

I am a UK national, recently married to a Kazakh national (June 2015). The marriage being recent, my wife does not have any visas in force, or residence permits. I will be shortly moving to Italy, Milan, to start a new job (the initial contract is 18 months), and want to start the application process so that she can join me as soon as possible.

I have the choice to advise her on applying for a Schengen visa, which has a very short processing time (10 days on average), and then together we register with the local authorities. The problem with this process is that if she will depend on her Schengen visa whilst she is registering at the commune, and it eventually expires, what happens then? Can she stay as long as the authorities are coming to a decision?

Otherwise another solution is to advise her to apply from abroad (Almaty, Kazakhstan), for a spousal repatriation visa. Though this seems the clearest path, we have no idea of the waiting time involved (some visa processes can take up to 6 months before a decision is made). We just want to be together as soon as possible, and don't wish to be separated by mindless bureaucracy, especially if we meet all the conditions and have all the supporting documentation required.

I have phoned and sent emails to the Italian consulates in London and Almaty, but as of yet have received no clear answer of what path should be taken for our quick reunification. Previous experience in Belgium tells me that she should apply for Schengen, and then we'll take care of the rest once we are together. But then again, things may change from country to country, and I have no definitive point of contact, and don't know anyone who's gone through the same thing, to be able to be sure.

If you have any ideas about our situation, advice or tips or contacts that you are willing to share, then thank-you.