PR application online form and CSI requirement in 90s

[trini500]

Hi,
am a 52 year German woman married to a UK citizen and we have a son. I came to work in this country in 1991 and worked till 1994 and by then managed to finance a one year MA degree 1994 -1995. After that degree I worked 14 years for a company and after a short break 6 years as a Teaching Assistant till 2015.

I tried to apply using the online system and whilst it has been an improvement to the 85 page paper document (no 5 years detailed travel details are needed anymore and the Return Passport service is also an improvement and no need to give passport away for 6 months anymore ) BUT

because I entered during the online application process that I was a student in 1994-95 which is a period prior to the Free Movement of Persons Directive 2004/38/EC this prompted then a series of questions on comprehensive sickness insurance and self-sufficiency ALTHOUGH in the previous section of the form I also had already told the HO that I had a 5 year qualifying period of work and the evidence in form of P60s - the system is designed in a way that my only option was to state in the following screens that I had no comprehensive sickness insurance (although this was really not relevant in my case as I understand as it did not count for my qualifying period). In addition, at the end of the application process the system was designed in a way that I could only complete and submit the application, unless I ticked and accepted for instance that I would provide information on self-sufficiency as well as vocational study. Again - the period of study was back in 1994/95 and anyway was not relevant to counting towards the 5 year qualifying period.

Does anyone know whether students in 1994 were obliged to have CSI as I understood that this became law much later in by a 2004 EU directive. I want to be truthful and can provide my degree certificate. However, when I asked my bank to provide statements from 1995, they responded that due data retention they are not allowed to hold data that long. My plan is now to provide all the other evidence from my working years to show that I have fulfilled the requirement of 5 continuous working years and explain in a cover letter the circumstances with regards to study period and that I cannot prove self-sufficiency as the bank does not have my bank statements anymore. Does anyone have the same problem? I thought I would be an easy case considering the many years that I have worked in the UK??

[mpdimitrova]

My plan is now to provide all the other evidence from my working years to show that I have fulfilled the requirement of 5 continuous working years and explain in a cover letter the circumstances with regards to study period and that I cannot prove self-sufficiency as the bank does not have my bank statements anymore. ?

From what I have read (mainly on the freemovement blog), I believe your plan is correct. Regardless of what you did in the 90s, having fulfilled the requirement of 5 continuous working years is enough for you to qualify for PR. I will try to find the article where I found this and share with you.

Good luck!