Nationals of the European Economic Area (EEA) avail the liberty of travelling, residing, working, the establishment of a business, studying in any other associate nation within the zone. The contract between the EEA nations also contains a joint acknowledgement of the professional experiences and coordination between associates as regards to social safety. The EEA nationals’ card is a versatile instrument that is useful in numerous additional cases in adding to a UK residence authorization, such as:
- To travel and visit across other EEA nations
- To obtain a quicker and less administrative entry in the UK from abroad
- To reveal the admissibility to work in the UK
- To gain a more natural approach to certain aids and facilities
Who Requires
Your non-EEA family associates can obtain an EEA Residence Card from the UK if they are ‘direct family associates’ or ‘extended family associates’ now living here with you. This is conceivable only if you are either a ‘capable person’ or a ‘UK Permanent Resident’. Non-EEA nationals who are also qualified to obtain an EEA Residence Card are those staying in the UK as a ‘Retained Rights of Residence’ or a ‘Surinder Singh’ situation.
Remember: Due to Brexit, from 1 January 2021 the EEA Residence Card will not be useful in the UK. Afterwards, 31 December 2020, you and your EEA family associate should get the status of settled or pre-settled foreigners here, before such date.
Competent Individual
A competent individual is considered anybody staying in the UK and using treaty privileges as an employee, as a student with a health insurance coverage, as a job-searcher, as a self-employed individual (conditional situations), or as a self-adequate individual with a health insurance coverage.
Who Is Considered as a Direct Family Associate?
- Known as family associates of EEA nationals are the following non-EEA residents:
- Your spouse
- Your or your spouse’s child or grandchild of age 21 years old or a dependent
- Your or your spouse’s parent or grandparent.
- If you are an EEA student in the UK, here is who meets the requirements as your non-EEA ‘direct family associates’:
- Your spouse
- Your or your spouse’s dependent children
Who Is Considered an Extended Family Associate?
- Known as extended family associates of EEA nationals are the following non-EEA citizens:
- Your unmarried companion from a long-lasting relationship
- Your or your spouse’s relative
How to Apply
The appeal procedure for an EEA Residence Card comprises submitting the visa request documents and the biometric data, such as your digital photo, fingerprints and digital sign. When you are applying a similar time with a competent individual, they are permitted to contain you in their online appeal form. Other situations than that, you will require to download and fill up the appeal form for EEA Residence Card and send it to the Homebased Office using postal facilities.
EEA Residence Card Necessities
The essential documents to apply for an EEA residence card are:
- Duly finished appeal forms for an EEA Residence Card. Form EEA (FM) for family associates and use form EEA (EFM) if you are an extended family associate
- The candidates’ legal passport
- Two newly taken passport size colour photograph of the candidate
- One recently taken passport size colour photograph of the sponsor of the EEA or British national
- EEA citizen’s valid passport or national identity card.
- The vis application charge
- Documents ratifying the relationship of the non-EEA with the EEA citizen (sponsor)
- Marriage certificate
- Civil partnership certificate
- Birth certificate
- Proof of a shared life with your EEA sponsor for at least two years
- Documents to assure any of the residence statuses of a sponsor or the claimant
- Proof that your EEA sponsor has the enduring right of residence in the UK
- Proof that your EEA sponsor is a competent individual
- Proof that you are a ‘retained right of residence’ if applicable
- Proof that you are a ‘Surinder Singh’ case if applicable
- For ‘Surinder Singh’ claims only: documents which settle a joint life and household between the British national and the non-EEA citizen in another EEA nation.
- Proof which presents your home address in the foreign EEA state.
- The leasing agreement
- Buying agreement
- Additional official documents showing the home address
- Proof of incorporation in the overseas EEA state
- Evidence of speaking any of the certified languages of such state
- Evidence of having children born there
- Evidence of having children still straying there
- Prior travel plan to and from the overseas EEA state should show all arrival and departure dates to or from and from or to the overseas EEA state
- The immigration record to the UK and other nations (if applicable)
- The whole visa appeals for the UK or other nation’s visas
- Refusals, terminations, deportations or alike immigration fines in the UK
Visa Costs
The visa fee you will require to pay is 65£, while the charge to offer the biometric info is about 19.20£.
