EU Settlement Family Permit

The EEA family permit is designed for family members of EU nationals who are permanent residents in the UK. Through this permit, although it is not a visa, these individuals who are related to EU nationals will be able to freely enter the UK and move around the EEA member states. It is meant to make it easier for non-EU nationals to enter the EU member states to join their EU citizen family members.

This functionality may also be attained through other visa types for non-European family members of EEA nationals if they are eligible. However the benefit of the EEA family permit is that it can be applied for from outside the UK and is generally considered to be easier to successfully attain. For those who meet the criteria of this permit, it is a more economic option in terms of time and effort.

Once the EEA family permit has been successfully awarded to the applicant it will generally remain valid for up to six months. After this time period one can apple for an extension of up to five years. After this time the applicant will then become eligible to apply for Permanent Residence in the UK. After the permanent residence phase has elapsed the applicant becomes eligible for the British Citizenship process.

In order to join your EU national family member in the UK through this process, the EU national family member also has to meet some requirements before they become eligible to invite you. Firstly the person you are joining has to already be living in the UK or they have to be travelling with you to the UK in the next six months.

Moreover the EU national you are joining must be ‘qualified’ in that they are either working, self-sufficient, studying or in the process of looking for work in the UK. Also if the person you are joining holds the right of permanent residence in the UK that also qualifies them. Similarly the person who is applying for the EU family permit must also fulfill some conditions. The applicant must be a direct family member of the host, a partner or a member of the hosts’ extended family.

Moreover through this process you can also apply for a residence card which makes it much more convenient to travel abroad and also shows employers that you are qualified to work in the UK. This card permits the holder to live and work in the UK for up to five years, though more importantly it qualifies the card holder to apply for the permanent residence program which gives full access to live and work in the UK indefinitely.

The EEA guidelines can be difficult to understand considering the amount of information required and the intricate processes involved. Rather than pursuing this on your own and spending more time on it than is necessary consider teaming up with our team of experts to create an action plan for this task. With their years of hands-on experience and updated information about the process, this task can be smooth and quick.