EEA whats the next step ??

[guesswho]

Hello

i am living in UK for over 12 years on various visas but last 4 and half year i had EEA permit which is expire in December 2015. my question is can i apply for UK citizenship now or do i have to apply for PR first than UK citizenship and if so can i apply for PR now although i still got 10 month left on my EEA permit
thanks in advance

Regards
GW

[guesswho]

mmm i guess no one know the answer or willing to help ??

[rosebead]

It's Good Friday today, people are probably away or busy. EEA Family Permit is the name of the entry visa by the way - what you have is called a Residence Card. Are you the spouse of an EEA citizen, did you get married in the UK? If so, the clock started ticking from the day you were married in the UK and not the day you got your residence card. If it has been 5 years since you got married, then you are eligible to apply for PR confirmation. And then one year after being PR you will be eligible to apply for naturalisation.

[guesswho]

hello thanks for the reply I posted my question over a month ago and got no reply

anyway thanks for the input yes my wife is French and i been married for more than 5 years so according to what you say i can apply for pr first than nationality

thanks a lot
Regards

[rosebead]

If you have been married more than 5 years, then you have PR status already, presuming that your wife has been exercising Treaty rights all that time. Applying for the PR card does not bestow PR status on you by the way, it merely confirms what you already have by rights under EU law. You are eligible to apply for naturalisation after 1 year of being PR (PR is achieved after 5 years of marriage). You could directly apply for naturalisation without a PR card, but you risk losing nearly £1000 if they refuse you. There's far less risk of a refusal if you submit a PR card with your naturalisation application, so it's better to get the PR card first and then wait 1 year before applying for citizenship.