Finally in England- NOW WHAT???

[crapstone]

Hi all,

Thro this wonderful forum, my husband was able to get his EEA Family Permit from the states.
We finally arrived, but have a myriad questions. So confused! I hope someone can answer us:)

We have been looking for work, (I am an EEA citizen), but my husband has had to walk around to employers carrying my passport and marriage cert to prove that he has legal rights to work here. Is there are website we can go to to print out the rules of the EEA stating that he, as a non- EEA married to an EEA, can work here just as much as I can? Looks like lots of employers dont know this. This way he can walk around with the printed copy and they can see this for themselves.

Second, since it looks like the economy is so bad that it takes forever to find a job, (we have been looking for 3 weeks, and nothing concrete yet. I am so used to finding a job within a week!), we need to start applying for the EEA1 and 2, for both my husband and I. The question is, after reading all these scary stories of how it takes over a year to get your passport back, how do we do this and still look for work- I ask this because don't we need our passports to prove who we are? How does this work?
Especially my husband, since he has a non EEA passport, it is paramount for him to have his passport all the time. So, to add on to this, would it be quicker to go to the HO in London in person? How do I contact them? Anybody have their number? I have read somewhere here that it takes about 4 months to get an appointment with them? Is that true? and if so, what happens when we go for our appointment? Also, what if the appointment is scheduled for after my husband's family permit expires, what happens? Can we ask for an extension? How is this done?

Third, I have been adviced to apply for job seekers allowance. Will this affect my husband's application for his EEA2? Will it affect mine? Is this considered public funds?

I hope someone can help us. I will really appreciate it. Thanks for reading my story!
C.

[86ti]

First of all, congratulations! Good to see that it worked out for you.

Just a few points. Application for both EEA1 and EEA2 are optional. EEA1 is mostly useless but EEA2 important for practical reasons. Croydon is only for EEA1 and yes it is an appointment system with waiting times. Directly from the horse's mouth.

Unless you intend to travel there is probably no need to apply soon (but you can ask to have your passports back) ... though potential employers may be easier to convince with a 'magical visa' in the passport. In practice your husband may find it hard to find a job because employers are scared to employ illegally and be fined for that. You can try printing the EEA regulations. There is also a telephone number somewhere in the first link to inform employers about non-EEA family member's rights. The CoA you receive after application should also state the right to work.

[crapstone]

Thanks 86ti, as usual. I will read the website through, and probably pause more questions after:)
Quick question though, how do I go about applying for jobs without a passport, after I send it to Liverpool? And how long will it take for me to get this letter? What other forms of identification can I use? I know that employers here are very sensitive about employing illegals. Very understandable.
Thanks once again.

[thsths]

We have been looking for work, (I am an EEA citizen), but my husband has had to walk around to employers carrying my passport and marriage cert to prove that he has legal rights to work here.

I know, it is frustrating. But first of all you do not need to carry a passport in this country. And there should be a way for employers to check your identity against the passport at the UKBA, but I would not expect that it works very well.

So the best strategy is probably to register in the necessary places (bank, library, GP etc), and then send off the application to the UKBA. Once you get the CoA (takes about 2 weeks), you can ask for the passports to be sent back.

[crapstone]

Thanks thsths. That sounds feasible. I will send it off at the end of the month and see what happens.
I am still open to any other comments!

[JasonJTB]

Hey crapstone

how old is your husband!!

where are you guys staying in london as i may be able to get him work doing door supervisor(bouncer at clubs) as i have loads of contacts in that industry.

[crapstone]

LOL! Thanks Jason, but no thanks. He is not a professional bouncer:) so we will decline your offer...