Entry permit expired - can I work

[Cvjaarsveld]

Hi all!

I wonder if you can give me some advice please. My husband is a British citizen and I'm South African. We came here with Surinder Singh route after having lived in Ireland. I was issued a 6 month residence permit. I've been working in the UK but my entry permit expires next week. I was under the impression I could carry on working while I was waiting for my residence card but the company needs my work status in black and white. Is there any way I can get proof of my eligibility to work while I'm waiting and roughly how long does the application take to come back for a residence card after having been here for 6 months? Stressed about not being able to work!

Thank you!

[at12]

If your husband is exercising treaty rights yes, you have the right to carry on working. However, it is not possible to get proof of eligibility! It is a complicated situation and you are not the first one to face that! I am actually having the same problem right now.. my residence card expired and until my PR application is processed, I have no proof of my right to work .

The good news it that is now taking about 3 months for RC applications to be processed, and if you are married you should get a CoA stating your right to work within ~ 3-4 weeks. Have a look at the timeline thread to get an idea of the current processing times:
eea-route-applications/eea-fm-eea2-time ... 2-980.html

If your employer is not satisfied with the CoA, tell them to check your rights directly with the Home Office using this link (you must have the CoA for that):
https://www.immigrationstatuscheck.serv ... employers/

Good luck!

[Cvjaarsveld]

Thank you! This answers the question. It's a great help. Any idea how long it'll take to get my passport back as I'd like to go home for a visit while I'm waiting. Just can't go now as I'm guessing they won't let me back in if my entry permit has expired?
Thanks again

[CR001]

Thank you! This answers the question. It's a great help. Any idea how long it'll take to get my passport back as I'd like to go home for a visit while I'm waiting. Just can't go now as I'm guessing they won't let me back in if my entry permit has expired?
Thanks again

You won't be able to get on the plane in SA to come back without proof of right to enter the UK. I would suggest you wait till you have your RC before travelling out of the UK.