COA with right to work not confirmed?

[thk]

We've just received the COA from our EEA2 application.

It states that "...we are unable to confirm your right to work in the United Kingdom."

On the back are several pre-printed reasons as to why they would not be able to do this

- that my wife is seeking to provide day-to-day care for an EU citizen child - not relevant

- the applicant is unmarried - not relevant as we are married.

- we haven't provided satisfactory evidence of her identity or her relationship to me - that's the only one I can think of that might apply, but what's not satisfactory about her birth certificate, passport, our marriage certificate, my birth certificate, my passport, and all translated professionally where necessary! How can that not be satisfactory evidence???! It just makes me worried for the outcome.

What's weird is that she has had the right to work under her EEA Family Permit, which we've previously had confirmed by the UKBA as she was applying for jobs, but suddenly she doesn't have the right to work??? How helpful is that - someone who came to this country to find work (having quit her job in France to come here) suddenly finds herself unable to work for who knows how long for a completely unknown reason.

[soniac]

Hi thk,

The same happened to us, although we are unmarried partners. However the home office has already been satisified that we are in a durable relationship (when granted the family permit)as we had evidence of our 3 year relationship in fine detail, so im really not sure what to do or how to go about this? we also received the CoA yesterday....seems like its just a standard one they are sending out to everyone. So what is our best option? Ring them and ask for a new one! I wonder how many people are receiving the same one and calling to ask for a new one....

[thk]

No idea! The letter basically says don't bother calling us!

[Actually it says in an emergency call us on the number on this letter, but where it says "Tel" on the letter, it is blank, providing no number - likewise for the "E-Mail" contact!]

It says that they will not be able to confirm her right to work until the application has been processed. We've been together for coming up to 5 years, married and with a child with all evidence provided in huge detail, how much more proof of a serious relationship do they want?!

...and people think France is a dearly beloved place - we had more rights there, even with me being a British citizen than we do in my own native country! Thanks UKBA, I'm so proud to be British. Thank goodness for the EU for once. Applying under the UK immigration route is even more of a nightmare!

[soniac]

I thought the exact same thing when I saw the blank telephone and email slot...thought, well they really dont want us to call them as they didnt even bother to put it on the form.

I totally feel your frustrations, although completely different situations. They denied my partner his eea family permit back in april, so we lodged an appeal and we literally submitted every single possible piece of evidence since we began dating in June 2009 to prove pur relationship. They then overturned their original decision in August and granted him the FP so they we obviously satisified we are in a durable relationship. We do plan to marry, but want to be able to work and save for a proper wedding so both pur families can come out to it, but with how difficult they are making it, especially now with the CoA stating he'snot confirmed to work, he wont be able to work, and then in Feb when his FP expires, if not granted the Residence card, then what? Trying not to jump the gun, but all I do is worry as I dont want to haveto spend anytime apart....we've done our time, really just want to be able to get on with our lives.....

[thk]

Know exactly how you feel, we just want to get on with our lives and work for our future. The EEA FP was granted in less than 2 weeks with really not that much information provided as documentation. Rather naively we thought getting the next step would be similarly simple! If they had given her the right to enter and work in the UK that easily I don't know why they make it so hard now, if that's what they want then just make it hard to come into the UK in the first place! Once people are in the UK they can simply disappear if they are that way inclined.

Unfortunately we had to get her FP earlier than we had planned because my grandmother was taken suddenly taken ill so we needed to travel to the UK (that's part of the reason I'm moving back to the UK now) but we had to go back to France for another 2 months after she was granted it, then after we got to the UK her mother was ill too and we had to travel to her home country, so all in, we've had to apply near to the expiry of her FP so she only has a few weeks before her FP expires now. She's really upset because she (genuinely) likes to work, we'd put our child in nursery already to get her used to being away from home whilst my wife worked. She's just so deflated at the thought of sitting around at home unable to do anything for probably 6 months whilst they make a decision, even worse, not able to travel home to visit her family as they have her passport.

Really don't understand why she can't work and make a financial contribution to the country. Don't want to rant so I'll stop there! If they don't have enough details to allow her to work, it just makes me worried for the final decision even though we've done everything right.