Who needs CSI ?

[Dowlad]

Hi,

I am an EU national, I am in full time employment. My wife who is non-eu has received her 5 year family permit.

I understand that I am in the ''Worker'' category and do not require CSI.
Does my wife require CSI ? she was a student but has recently taken a gap year.
I spoke to an immigration lawyer who believes my wife needs CSI. but I want to get 2nd opinion
before I spend money on an expensive annual CSI policy?

I want to avoid problems in 4 years time, when I want to apply for her PR.

[Casa]

Your wife doesn't require CSI. You are her EEA sponsor and are exercising your Treaty rights through employment which covers both of you. Save your money for something far more rewarding.

[Dowlad]

Thank you for the prompt response. I can use the 600 a 700£ I would have spend on something else.
If I understand correctly then I would only need CSI, If I became 1)full-time student or 2)self sufficient or 3)unemployed for long time ?
If the above statement is true would it help if I had PR ? i.e. if I were to claim benefits or become student while my non-eu wife was depending on me would this pause/break her qualifying period even if I held PR?

What is not clear which rights/privileges one gets with PR.

Thanks Casa

[Dowlad]

I am not clear on the benefits of PR does it mean one can stop exercising treaty rights once PR is obtained and gets same rights/privileges as BC ?

[Casa]

You are no longer required to exercise your Treaty rights once you have PR as you will be free of Immigration control. However, you won't have the same rights as someone holding British citizenship; for example if you are absent from the UK for more than 2 years your PR would be lost.

[Dowlad]

Sorry I am being slow today.
1)Does that mean neither of us would need CSI if I get PR? even if both of us were studying or temporarily unemployeed?

2) does PR make any difference If we have been issued with ''no recourse to public funds'' ?

Thanks in advance

[Casa]

Sorry I am being slow today.
1)Does that mean neither of us would need CSI if I get PR? even if both of us were studying or temporarily unemployeed?

2) does PR make any difference If we have been issued with ''no recourse to public funds'' ?

Thanks in advance

1. That's my understanding.

2. Once you have PR you will be entitled to claim benefits as a person with settled status.

[Dowlad]

Thanks very much for your time and guidance on this issue. much appreciated.
I will attempt to apply for PR some time in the future I got more than 5xp60, just don't have enough evidence to proof residence as I've been moving houses quite often.

[Dowlad]

I called the HO Enquiries from European citizens
Telephone: 0300 123 2253, They informed that my wife would need to have CSI if she is student or self sufficient, and would to need qualify for PR in her own right through exercising treaty.

I am really confused about this now

[Dowlad]

I called again to get some clarify, this time around was told as my wife is not an EU citizen she does not need to exercise treaty right, and I could apply for her PR as the sponsor.
Asked for email confirmation but that was not possible.

CSI requirement apparently depends on who you speak to and the time of the day, can include mood too.
Does any one have publication relating to this scenario?

[too old]

Dowlad,

Your wife who is a non eea national does not need to work, does not need to have CSI, does not have to be qualified if you as an eea national as her husband is qualified and she can attain PR with you as long as you can prove your qualified period for straight five years.

Thanks

[albertofrombrasil]

too old, thank you for the information. I'm in a similar situation as Dowlad.

Could you point us to an oficial document or link confirming what you said?
(I am not questioning your knowledge. Just want to have an official reference)

I recently obtained my EEA FP as non-EEA spouse of an EEA qualified citizen (who is exercising her treaty rights in UK). I believe I am not required to have a CSI, and that I am entitled to the NHS (please correct me if I'm wrong). However, what if in 5 years I decide to request PR? Will I be expected to prove I had CSI during the periods in which I was not economically active?

(I'm asking these questions here because I believe they fit the main thread. Let me know if I should post this as a separate thread)

[johnnybaloney]

Hey Alberto, I'm in a similar position too. While I didn't find anything "official" have a look at this thread.

As for NHS here is a quote from freemovement.org.uk:

EEA citizens and their family members are allowed to use the NHS in the UK, but according to the Home Office the NHS does not count as comprehensive sickness insurance

That it doesn't count shouldn't matter in our case, if CSI it's not needed for a non-EEA spouse.

[albertofrombrasil]

Thanks for the link! Yes, I too found several informal references that confirm that. But it doesn't seem like the Home Office wants to actually state that in any official manner, which makes things harder for us to make actual decisions.

Regarding our using the NHS, even that is not clear. I find in many non-oficial sources that non-EU spouse of EU qualified citizen can use NHS, however oficial sources state that this is true only for emergencies and other specific services (like STD testing). Any other kind of medical consultation or treatment would need to be payed.

In other words: even if we are not required (by UK or EU law) to have a CSI, it should seem to be advisable for us to have at least some kind of insurance, since we can only rely on the NHS for very specific and extreme situations. If anyone knows more about this, please comment/correct me!