EEA Family Permit info

[barb78]

Good Morning,
I'm Italian and will be moving to the UK by the end of this month to live and work there. My husband is Tunisian, we've been married for three years and he's legally living in Italy. He will join me in April/May 2007 so I guess he needs to apply for a EEA family permit which would have 6 months validity and then apply for residence permit with the Home Office. I would like to know if it's possible for him to travel from Italy to the UK with a one way ticket and how long it usually takes to issue the Family Permit after the online application has been sent. I sent an email to the British Embassy in Italy but still no reply.
We will send the application along with the following documents: his Tunisian passport and Italian permit of stay, my Italian identity card, my bank statement, our certificate of marriage and its registration in Italy (as we got married in Tunisia) and my invitation letter to join me to the UK. If there's anything missing, please advise.

Thanks a lot for your help!

[John]

I would like to know if it's possible for him to travel from Italy to the UK with a one way ticket and how long it usually takes to issue the Family Permit after the online application has been sent.

Yes, armed with an EEA Family Permit in his passport, a one-way ticket is OK.

How long? Generally the answer at British Missions in the EU is .. not long. Just a few days.

Any particular reason why you are travelling to the UK before your husband?

When you get to the UK, in what way do you intend to exercise your EU Treaty Rights? Will you be working? Studying? Or what?

[barb78]

Thank you very much for your answer, John!
I am travelling before my husband because I have some job offers to consider and once I'm set with job and accommodation it will be better for him to come. He's also working in Italy, so before leaving his job here, I would prefer to look for something for him in the UK in order to give him some advice when he arrives.

[John]

Barb78, OK I understand.

Given that you are Italian, and the two of you currently live together in Italy, well over the six month specified in Italian Citizenship legislation, has your husband applied for Italian citizenship?

[barb78]

Unfortunately we couldn't do the application for his Italian citizenship as he needs to go to Tunisia to issue some documents and have them translated from the Italian Embassy in Tunisia and then stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (something like that).Anyway he just got his Carta di Soggiorno so he's entitled for 10 years residence in Italy. By the way in Italy it takes about 3 years to get the citizenship , after your application, it's very slow. Anyway, thank you for your help John, I think we'll go through the EEA family permit and then we'll see once in the UK. I would like to apply right now but I cannot provide a permanent address in the UK, because I just have a short term rent for now, but when he comes, probably end of April, most likely I will have a different address. Before my departure I think I better give him an invitation letter and my identity card (I'll take my passport with me) so it will be easier, then we will sent all the bank statements we have, which means my 2 bank statements (Italy and UK) and his (Italy), well it's not going to be more than 5000 euros, I hope it will be fine. One more thing, can he write in the application form that he's going to look for a job in the UK and that he intends to stay the whole 6 months, or better not? It looks easy but I'm quite confused,we want to do the right thing. Thanks again!

[barb78]

I have just one more question...well two, actually!
I emailed the embassy but got no reply...
I need to know if I can make the online application for him from the UK and then send him the receipt he has to sign along with other documents such us my UK bank statement.
The second question is: can he send certified copies of marriage certificate and Italian residence card instead of the originals?

Thanks a lot!