My post is divided into two parts:
i) Query regarding the Certificate of Application (CoA) and whether what we received today by post is a CoA or some sort of acknowledgement letter, preceding the CoA (or not); and
ii) Query regarding my EEA National partner's employment situation changing post-application submission.
I am an Australian National.
My partner is an EEA National (French).
I received an EEA Family Permit mid-2014, on the basis of being in an unmarried, durable relationship (we have been living together since May 2012).
The EEA Family Permit expires on 9 December 2014 (for those interested: we would have applied earlier however I had to visit Australia intermittently until mid-October so needed my passport).
i)
We applied for my EEA Residence Card on Thursday 27 November 2014.
Today (Friday 5 December: 8 days later), I received a letter acknowledging receipt of my application.
I am still unsure whether this is the same thing as a "Certificate of Application" (it is not titled, "Certificate of Application"), given it does not stipulate whether I do/not have the right to continue to work or not. It merely states that my application has been received and about the service standards of completion, etc.
I am aware of my rights to continue working as an unmarried partner, given I am resident here at present with an EEA Family Permit. However employers that I have had interviews with seem to require this 'right to continue working whilst RC application is pending' clarification in this Certificate (given I thought it would be clarified in the CoA and advised them as such).
Is anyone able to please advise whether this letter is an earlier acknowledgement letter sent at the time that they process the payment (for example), or whether it is in fact the CoA and they have just failed to clarify my right to continue working whilst my RC app is pending??
(The reason why I am unfortunately thinking that they might be two separate documents that applicants get sent, is because of the research I have done thus far via forums like these).
ii)
We relocated to the UK specifically for an offer of employment for my partner.
Unfortunately yesterday - Thursday 4 December - my partner was advised by his employer that he will not be employed beyond the probation period (almost six months) and that he was to finish working yesterday also.
My EEA RC application sent by post last week, was based partly on the fact that my partner was exercising his Treaty Rights as an employed individual.
Given he is currently no longer employed: what should I/we do?
Do we need to write immediately to the Home Office advising them that this is the case?
Given that this only happened yesterday, what window to move do we have?
He has a good amount of savings so could remain self-sufficient, however, for the sake of my EEA RC application, might it be more straight-forward to advise that he has gone from being employed to involuntarily unemployed but someone who has just started seeking work?
If so, should he register as unemployed with a JobCentre though he does not need to receive the benefits? Will this reflect poorly on him in any way in future?
Or could he just register with an employment agency, for example, and send this letter through as partial evidence reflecting the change in how he is presently exercising his Treaty Rights?
We are thinking of potentially seeking legal advice regarding this second question if we are unable to receive the clarity we require through our own research.
Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to reply.
This forum has been a blessing to us thus far... Thanks again
