How do HM issue residence cards if passport is returned?

[apriliapegaso28]

Hello,

My non-EEA spouse applied for an EEA2 residence card of a family member in the past and HM put a sticker in her passport as her residence card.

I've read that one can request HM to return your passport a few weeks after application, it that is the case, do you know how they issue such a residence card for non-EEA spouse? ie, would they need to resubmit the passport again in the future to have that sticker attached, or would HM send a separate document?

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On that note, we now need to apply for her Permanent Residence card. How is this document issue, is it another sticker in her passport?

And if that's the case, and we request the passport back after application, similar to the doubt above would this PR document be issued as a separate doc, or would we have to resend the passport at some point in the future upon their request?

Thank you.

[ohara]

Residence card / permanent residence card for non-EEA family member of an EEA national are issued as biometric cards, not a sticker, so no they do not need your passport back at a later date.

[alex1128]

Once the HO has reached a decision they will send you a letter asking for your passport to be sent via mail!
Then if positive they will return it along with your biometric card !

[apriliapegaso28]

Thanks guys,

I was not aware about those physical cards, thanks.

As these processes keep on changing, I'm just curious now, do you know what is the latest rule? ie, @Ohara mentioned that HO won't need the passport anymore whilst @Alex mentioned that HO will request it again?

Thanks!

[ohara]

Once the HO has reached a decision they will send you a letter asking for your passport to be sent via mail!
Then if positive they will return it along with your biometric card !

What? No they won't.

You send your passport with your application, and once they have made a decision they will return your documents at the same time as the residence card.

You can request your documents back mid way through the application process if you need them urgently. If you do this, they will not ask for them back again.

I requested my passport back half way through my application for a permanent residence card. As I said, this documentation is no longer a vignette in your passport, but a physical card.

For EEA citizens, it is a vignette stuck on a piece of thick paper. For non-EEA family members of EEA citizens, it is a biometric card.

UK visas over 6 months in duration are also issued as biometric residence permits which are similar in format to the non-EEA family member biometric permanent residence card.

EEA citizens are not required to give biometric information for residence documentation as we all have biometric passports anyway, hence why the document certifying permanent residence is just a vignette stuck on a piece of thick paper, and not a biometric card like the non-EEA citizens get.

[alex1128]

Once the HO has reached a decision they will send you a letter asking for your passport to be sent via mail!
Then if positive they will return it along with your biometric card !

What? No they won't.

You send your passport with your application, and once they have made a decision they will return your documents at the same time as the residence card.

You can request your documents back mid way through the application process if you need them urgently. If you do this, they will not ask for them back again.

I requested my passport back half way through my application for a permanent residence card. As I said, this documentation is no longer a vignette in your passport, but a physical card.

For EEA citizens, it is a vignette stuck on a piece of thick paper. For non-EEA family members of EEA citizens, it is a biometric card.

UK visas over 6 months in duration are also issued as biometric residence permits which are similar in format to the non-EEA family member biometric permanent residence card.

EEA citizens are not required to give biometric information for residence documentation as we all have biometric passports anyway, hence why the document certifying permanent residence is just a vignette stuck on a piece of thick paper, and not a biometric card like the non-EEA citizens get.

May i remind you that you are just another applicant, it is not you who decide on what the Home Office does or not !
I have come across two cases in 2016 where the HO has asked the applicants to send their passports via mail so that they can issue their Permanent Residence Card.
This might not be happening in all cases as you are confirming that you didn't go through this procedure.
Bottom of the line, whether you ask for your passports back or not will not affect the outcome of your application so you shouldn't worry too much about it !

[apriliapegaso28]

I see, thank you guys!! I didn't know they could choose either way, good to note.

@Alex, on a different note, I noticed in your signature a point for 'Received Questionnaire'. Which questionnaire is this? Does it apply to all applicants?

I've applied as an EEA national and now applying for my spouse as a non-EEA person and never heard of such a questionnaire...

Thanks!

[LilyLalilu]

May i remind you that you are just another applicant, it is not you who decide on what the Home Office does or not !
I have come across two cases in 2016 where the HO has asked the applicants to send their passports via mail so that they can issue their Permanent Residence Card.
This might not be happening in all cases as you are confirming that you didn't go through this procedure.
Bottom of the line, whether you ask for your passports back or not will not affect the outcome of your application so you shouldn't worry too much about it !

I believe ohara is correct, they should not request a passport back after they have returned it to the applicant. In the above cases the HO employee returning the passport to the applicant may have forgot to take a certified copy or something, hence why they needed the document again. But tbh, as it's the HO, who knows

[ohara]

As above, the only situation in which I can image HO would ask for your passport back after returning it is if they had made a mistake and not taken a copy or something and needed to see it again.

No non-EEA residence documentation or UK visas over 6 months are issued in passports any more as I said. They are all separate documents now. Even for EEA permanent residence, the vignette which USED to be stuck in a passport, is now just stuck on a separate piece of card. All non-EEA documentation (visas, residence cards etc) are separate biometric cards throughout the EU/EEA.

[apriliapegaso28]

Understood, many thanks!

And related to this, if we apply and request our passports back, how can we then leave the UK for travelling if the current non-EEA Residence card expires during that period?

I asked the doubt a few days ago under a different Topic for making it easier to search in the future, if you could have a look to see how that could be achieved pls?

That topic was: http://www.immigrationboards.com/eea-ro ... 12323.html

[ohara]

I assume your spouse can just apply for an EEA FP while outside the UK in order to get back in.

I'm not an expert though and it's best to wait for advice from those in the know

[apriliapegaso28]

Thanks!

I'll keep an eye on the topics. I am just talking about short term holidays, eg, travelling for 1 or 2 weeks abroad and coming back whilst her current residence card as a family member is expired and her new non-EEA PR is being processed. Coincidence that summer and Xmas might be in the middle of this proccess...

[Skylar1331]

[quote="apriliapegaso28"]Understood, many thanks!

And related to this, if we apply and request our passports back, how can we then leave the UK for travelling if the current non-EEA Residence card expires during that period?

I asked the doubt a few days ago under a different Topic for making it easier to search in the future, if you could have a look to see how that could be achieved pls?

That topic was: http://www.immigrationboards.com/eea-ro ... 12323.html[/quote]

How did you get on with the returning of passports issue? I submitted an application for a Residency/Family Permit under SS and sent both of our passports in January/February. I then requested them back in May and they were returned in June. Now I've just received a four page questionnaire regarding SS and wanting me to submit supporting evidence, including any passport that has not been submitted. Do I send them again? This will be a problem as my husband is currently struggling with alcoholism and has had his visits suspended with my son so I will have a difficult time getting the passport back within the next few days. Should I just send mine again or neither as they were already submitted and returned? Any advice would be much appreciated! Best, Meredith