EEA4 application

[miriam.azpitarte]

Hi there,

I wanted to know if a 'same day visa application' was already working for the EEA4. I asked a lawyer the other day and I was told its working since the 6th of April 2011 but I dont seem to find it written in any official website.
Ive tried to call the Croydon office in London to see if they provide this service but no answer.

Anyone knows anything about this?

Many thanks

Miriam

[Jambo]

This has not started yet and wasn't announced when it will start but it will be in Liverpool not Croydon. Personally, I fail to understand why you would paid £300 for a free service when you can always ask for your passport back without affecting your application.

[seputus]

Sorry to boost a kind of old thread, but to answer Jambo .... I would gladly pay a fee to get my decision more quickly as even though I can get my passport back, this will not be much use to me if I cannot get back into the UK.

Yes, if I'm sending form EEA4 then I have automatically gained PR in the UK already, but convincing a border guard of that (or an airline check-in desk) is another matter entirely.

Am I missing something??

Also, there are some sites on the internet advertising same-day EEA4 decisions for a not so small fee. Are these sites reputable?

[Godott]

Sorry to boost a kind of old thread, but to answer Jambo .... I would gladly pay a fee to get my decision more quickly as even though I can get my passport back, this will not be much use to me if I cannot get back into the UK.

Yes, if I'm sending form EEA4 then I have automatically gained PR in the UK already, but convincing a border guard of that (or an airline check-in desk) is another matter entirely.

Am I missing something??

Also, there are some sites on the internet advertising same-day EEA4 decisions for a not so small fee. Are these sites reputable?

Could you write down for me 1 of those sites, please?
I would like to visit them.

[Jambo]

If you google "EEA4 same day applications" you will find various immigration solicitors offering the service. I suspect they have updated their website when the HO announced the service but never updated their site when the HO announced the start of the service is on hold.....

It all depends on your personal circumstances (visa national or not, RC still valid or not etc) but me personally I can think of better use of £300 than to award the HO for failing to provide a timely service.

[andrej]

Sorry to boost a kind of old thread, but to answer Jambo .... I would gladly pay a fee to get my decision more quickly as even though I can get my passport back, this will not be much use to me if I cannot get back into the UK.

Yes, if I'm sending form EEA4 then I have automatically gained PR in the UK already, but convincing a border guard of that (or an airline check-in desk) is another matter entirely.

Am I missing something??

Also, there are some sites on the internet advertising same-day EEA4 decisions for a not so small fee. Are these sites reputable?

You are right in all honesty... I would also spend £300 plus any travel expenses to sort the stuff all in one day. Today it cost me £45 just to send my documents to the Liverpool HO for EEA3+4 and that is supposed to be "free application". You can always get your passport back but until you get that PR card in it you can't get a new job, you can't travel... well you can always exit the UK but then GOOD LUCK getting back in, and I am not even talking about UK border force with whom you can always reason. It seems that cheap air companies such as Ryanair and Easyjet have taken the law (their own version of law) into their own hands acting judge and executioner when deciding if your passport is good enough to travel to destinations where you might have a visa! To add insult to injury their staff are not properly trained, their supervisors are not trained and their private security personnel are not properly trained or up to date with latest EEA laws on free movement... I could ramble on and on... but you get the picture.

[alekos]

If you google "EEA4 same day applications" you will find various immigration solicitors offering the service. I suspect they have updated their website when the HO announced the service but never updated their site when the HO announced the start of the service is on hold.....

I had a look at their site, third result from top in Google. They don't actually claim to get you a RC or PR in one day. It's a marketing ploy, I can't quote their slogan as that will expose them here, but the "service" offered sounds like a brand name. To put it another way, FairTrade does not necessarily means fair trade. I hold Nothing against said organisation, it was just an example, probably a bad one.

Their price sound shocking for so little work needed.

[seputus]

I can think of a better use too Jambo, but I travel for business and pleasure practically every 8 weeks... * sigh * !

andrej: I totally agree. Ryanair especially are evil for making an innocent kiwi like me have to get a visa check stamp lol .. sometimes I've had to stand in line for almost an hour to get the blasted stamp.

Re: your application though -- can I ask why it cost so much? I just did a search on Royal Mail's website and even sending a 2kg packet (and that's a lot of paper) costs under £10.

[seputus]

Oh wait, I see.... up to 2kg is £9.05 but 2.1kg is £22.70 (£45 for return)..

yikes !

[andrej]

I can think of a better use too Jambo, but I travel for business and pleasure practically every 8 weeks... * sigh * !

andrej: I totally agree. Ryanair especially are evil for making an innocent kiwi like me have to get a visa check stamp lol .. sometimes I've had to stand in line for almost an hour to get the blasted stamp.

Re: your application though -- can I ask why it cost so much? I just did a search on Royal Mail's website and even sending a 2kg packet (and that's a lot of paper) costs under £10.

Did Ryanair actually stamp your NZ passport with one of their private EVIL stamps???

A week ago I was travelling back from Spain with EasyJet on dual passports, both non-EU - but one has visa free travel in Schengen while the other contains my EEA RC. I used my Schengen free travel passport to buy my ticket and show to the ticket guy on the way out.

No preoblems besides the usual waiting and checks with the "supervisors", both on ticket desk and before boarding.

Then on my return I had to show them my "other" passport too so they could see the residence stamp. Long story short, they were "schocked" that I had two passports and kept on asking me "why?" and "how?" for about 30mins. This was the airline.

Spanish passport control did not care where, how or why and just gave me an exit stamp. Who do these airline companies think they are?

P.S. my application did cost a lot but it was a choice between taking some paper work out and risking HO letters of missing stuff or just forking out and extra £10...one way (+£20 both)

[SunBlue]

They don't stamp the passport. They stamp the printed board pass.

[seputus]

SunBlue's right, the boarding pass, not the passport.

andrej: yeah I have been in the exact same position when I went to Tenerife. On the way back they asked for proof of my residence in the UK and when I handed them my old passport they almost had a heart attack.

I chalk it up to us being a relatively rare breed of traveller!

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

Any EU law application that required more than 2kg of supporting documentation is either very very unusual or is way over the top.

[andrej]

Any EU law application that required more than 2kg of supporting documentation is either very very unusual or is way over the top.

I understand but it is better to be safe than sorry. They do not specify or advise in detail what is best to send and leave the area very gray and murky (possibly on purpose to confuse and discourage). The person dealing with the applications probably won't even look at all the supporting documentation but will check stuff on their system anyway. The application and passports will be sitting there for months, gathering dust until one day they grant the PR in about 45mins and then the stuff will sit there some more until they post it.

I don't know if you've had a look at the new EEA3+4 forms and compare them to the earlier ones. They have grown in size by 100% and most new questions are either very stupid or there to confuse with a guide that is not really helpfull.