EEA FP Question

[ST701]

Hello People,

I found the following from British Embassies site.

However if a British citizen is living in another EEA country, their non-EEA family members can apply for an EEA family permit to join them on their return to the UK. This is subject to the following conditions

* the British citizen is residing in an EEA Member State as a worker or self-employed person or was doing so before returning to the UK; and

# if the family member of the British citizen is their spouse or civil partner, they are living together in the EEA country or they entered into the marriage or civil partnership and were living together in that EEA country before returning to the UK.

I am not sure but I have read that one is still covered by the community law even if they are student or self sufficient in a member state. Can one apply for a EEA FP if the British spouse has been self sufficient or working as a frontier worker in the UK while staying in the member state? Is there any determined time frame for this?

Thanks in advance for any answers

S.