Is the UK in the EEA or not? Government clearly can't decide

[fredup]

Can anybody explain a simple query? I have thought about this and tried to work it out, but I just can't see how it makes any sense....

Why is is that as a British Citizen (by birth) it is harder for me to bring my non-EU spouse to the UK than if I was a national of another EEA country?

Why is the UK listed by the Governemnt (DWP) as an EEA country, yet I have no access to an EEA immigration route for my spouse, being forced to take the more difficult route with £18,600 salary requirements etc, while my French friend has brought his Vietnamese wife to the UK through a much easier route?

Has the UK government done this on purpose to penalise me for marrying outside of my nationality?

Very, very strange.....

Any ideas welcome!

Thanks

Fredup

[ravii]

You are living in the UK.if you wants to import some thing then there is some taxes,costums etc.nothing is free in the uk.In France there is also somes taxes etc but not on humans.so if you are a British citizen and wants to marry out the Uk then yes there is some requirements i.e £ 18600 p.a income,so if you are earning £ 18600 then you have to pay tax on it.

[Obie]

Well the same thing will happen if you move to Denamark or Netherlands. I am sure your friends their, will be pretty sturned that you can bring in your wife and other relatives and they have to go through a long and difficult process.

The Treaty on the functioning of the European Union is not applicable to an EU citizen in their home country , unless in very exceptional circumstance. There situation is considered as "Purely Internal" which essentially mean the EU has no jurisdiction.

This form of reverse discrimination can only be remedied if you were to move to another memberstate and engage in economic activity, on your return, you will be able to be accompanied by your wife in the same way as your french friends.

I wish you all the best. I understand it is quite disheartening, but the UK government has an unrealistic target of reducing net migration to the tens of thousands. This means drastic anti- family and economically suicidal measures will have to be implemented to hit it, and even then, it will still be impossible to reach.

[fredup]

Thanks for the replies... reverse discrimination is the term I was looking for.

Reducing net migration is one thing, interfering with the right to family life of your own citizens while hiding behind 'public interest' is quite another.

In my opinion it's disgusting that the government can meddle in the private family affairs of law abiding citizens. Then again, I would say that - I'm an individual who can't see how preventing my wife from being with me can be in the public interest. Prevent her from accessing public funds by all means - she hasn't paid taxes yet. But prevent us from being together by setting an arbitrary financial requirement figure because they don't trust us to take care of our own finances... bureaucracy gone horribly wrong...

Just my 2 pence

Cheers

Fredup

[keffers]

Its not reverse discrimination.

Its just discrimination.

[Obie]

well it is discrimination, but to be specific it is "reverse discrimination". The reason why it is called reverse discrimination is because it is perpetuated against the majority of UK's population who happen to be British, an the minority who happen to be other EU citizen looses.

[keffers]

Nonsense.

Its simply discrimination.

(But as it actually only affects a minority of British people, it fits it with the bizarre notion of 'reverse discrimination' - probably another American import like much of the race relations buzz words that people bandy about)

[fredup]

Discrimination or reverse discrimination I'm not sure, I just know it's a complete farce and would love to have a debate with the people that dreamed up these rules... I'm guessing they don't have non-EU spouses....

Cheers

fredup