If 9-13 months are needed to process the application, the Home Office should allow to deposit your application 9-13 months prior to expiry of the current residency permit - in any way, you won't be able to get a Schengen visa unless you have at least 6 months residency left on your residency permit . This is one of the points that the petition is addressing by requesting the possibility to apply for EEA4 permanent residency up to 6 months in advance.
With regards to the 6 months processing time, we have to keep in mind that this is the maximum allowed (for complex cases) and in the spirit of the law most cases should be processed in a much faster way. For straightforward cases where all conditions associated with the exercise of right to permanent residency are met, 6 weeks is reasonable period, and this should really be given as an aim, so that more complex cases can be processed within the legal timeframe of 6 months. Also because some jobs require international travel, it is totally unacceptable that the Home Office is putting people's jobs at risk due to internal inefficiency. Any employer can deal with 6 weeks restriction, but not 6+ months !!
I would like to thank everybody who has supported this petition. We have now reached
100 signatures !!!!
Cheers. Eric
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Act on EEA residency application delays by signing the petition:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/EEA4-Residency/
