Family Visit (Non EEA)

[Stereotongue]

Hello Eveyone,
My wife and I want to bring her Mum and younger brother ( he is 13) to Wales in March of this year to stay with us for 3 months. I have just been to the UK Visa site and come across the Family Permit. I understand it all, but just need someone to tell me that what I am thinking is correct.

It says that if you are an EEA member - which I am, (my wife is not - she has her ILR Visa at the moment) then you can bring your Non-EEA Family members to visit on the Family Permit option (which is free of charge).

This is what a section says :

Can my family join me in the UK?
Yes. If you have the right to live in the UK your family can join you.

Under European Community law, your family includes:

• your husband, wife or civil partner
• your husband's, wife's or civil partner’s children or grandchildren (if they are under 21 years of age or if they are over 21 and are dependent on you), and
• dependent relatives, for example your husband's, wife's or civil partner’s parents or grandparents.

I am interested in the part I've highlighted in red. This means that my mother-in-law is eligable for this Family Permit - correct ?

If this is correct then fantastic.....

Someone please tell me this is all correct and don't burst the bubble....

Kind Regards

Andrew

[KeithD]

It would appear so, but as they charge for the damn things these days, give the helpline a ring, unlike the old days someone actually answers and help!!! Strange I know

More importantly though....why do they want to come to Wales?

[Irelandken]

I've just been talking to the embassy about the same matter of a family permit to bring my mother in law her for a while, and from what they tell me, as a uk citizen i can only apply for a visitors visa, they wont consider a family permit. luckily i hold an irish passport as well and they said and i quote...."of course sir, you can exercise your right as an EEA citizen to bring your family members here and there will be no charge"..i'll be doing this within the next week or so, so i'll keep you informed ..

[jonnijon]

Talk about rip off UK if I have read that last post right

[Irelandken]

well the same thing happened to me when i was originally asking about the fiancee visa. i was told how much it would cost for the visa application, and when the officer i was talking to discovered i also held an irish passport, he said " why dont you get married first, then as an eea citizen you can get the spouse visa for free !!!! Yes .as a british citizen i've been ripped off...

[aromulus]

well the same thing happened to me when i was originally asking about the fiancee visa. i was told how much it would cost for the visa application, and when the officer i was talking to discovered i also held an irish passport, he said " why dont you get married first, then as an eea citizen you can get the spouse visa for free !!!! Yes .as a british citizen i've been ripped off...

Am I reading this right???? As an eyetie I don't need to pay for spouse visa????
How come i missed this bit? Where is this particular bit of information hidden??
Can anyone please direct me to the web page in question???
Please, please, please???

Ok, the £280, or thereabouts, would hardly break the bank, but it is better in my account, it might have a chance to breed...

[KeithD]

Ok, the £280, or thereabouts, would hardly break the bank, but it is better in my account, it might have a chance to breed...

Stick it on a horse, and get your money back.

[Stereotongue]

I already know how much us Brits are poked in the eyes with rusty mangled spikey splintered and just downright dirty pokers by the government, but how come I'm not considered a member of the EEA ??? Can I not go to France (dunno why I'd wanna go there - but hey ) and be classed as a member of the EEA.
If this is truly the situation it's just gonna make me feel like even more of a foreigner here.

Bubble Well Burst !!!


Cheers
Andrew

[Irelandken]

Am I reading this right???? As an eyetie I don't need to pay for spouse visa????
How come i missed this bit? Where is this particular bit of information hidden??
Can anyone please direct me to the web page in question???
Please, please, please???

Ok, the £280, or thereabouts, would hardly break the bank, but it is better in my account, it might have a chance to breed...

On the UK visas website under the section"Guidance - EEA & Swiss nationals (INF 18) (20/12/06)" you can find all the relative information.

[andypaul]

I think there was a famous test case surinder singh case type that into your google and your find lots of articles on the subject. I typed singh eea and found official websites that explained all the details.

[aromulus]

OH, that was good news indeed...!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Singh case really opened a can of worms

Blimey, if I got it right, once Jet gets here, she would be entitled to a residence permits for 5 years, without forking out a penny... Just a stamp on her passport. And able to go to work immediately, if she so chooses.
And all because I am not British....? How cool is that???

Although I am extremely overjoyed by this (my personal circumstance), the situation seems to be unfair and weighed against the Brits.

But I would not be in the least bit surprised, if something crops up and bites me in the bum... It's called Murphy's Law...

[Irelandken]

well like i say i've already spoken to an eco at the british embassy and it all seemed quite straight forward according to him. maybe a call to them yourself would put your mind at rest?

[Stereotongue]

I managed to get through to someone on the phone today :

Me : "Can I apply for the Family Permit in order to bring my mother-in-law from the Philippines for a holiday"

Them : "What is your Nationality ?"

Me : "I am British"

Them: "No you cannot apply for the Family Permit because you are a British Citizen. The Family Permit is only for EEA Members"

Me: "...but is Britain not a member of the EEA ?"

Them : "It only for members of the EEA - not British Citizens"

Me : "So some guy from Belguim can come here and bring his non EEA family across - is that correct ?"

Them : "Yes sir"

Me: " So you are telling me that a foreigner receives preferential treatment to a British Citizen in this case ?"

Them : "I can't comment on that sir"

Me: "Oh come on - be honest - don't you think that it's a bit on the ridiculous side ?"

Them : "I can't comment on that sir"

Me " Great, thanks for your help. Bye"


This is total nonsense to me - I cannot believe that I am being punished for being British in Britain. This regulation has to be changed.
I don't really know who to speak to about this - but I'm going to start by getting in touch with my local MP. Anyone else have any ideas of how to go about getting sense into the system ? I'm sure if I tried to get a petition signed I'd find no shortages of names etc. I just want serious advice on getting someone in authority to look at this. I listen to talk sport quite a lot and I know that they often bring up the immigration topic - next time it comes up I will phone in.
Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Andrew

[aromulus]

I don't really know if it helps, but you can try the Schengen route.
By applying in another embassy.
I was curious about your predicament, and i googled a while, and came up with this link. try it, unless admin thinks it isn't allowed to be posted.
It is just a round about way of getting your own back. Hope it works.

http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/fsj...country_en.htm

Good luck

Dom

[Stereotongue]

HI Dom,
I visited the link you posted, however I'm not sure how this can help me as the UK is not part of the Schengen Agreement. It seems it could only be of use to me in the Europe that the UK is evidently not part of.


Cheers

Andrew