EEA Family Permit - Date of Intended Travel

[hannes7]

Dear all,

I would like to ask you to take a little bit of your time for my issue.
My wife is a non-EU and I'm an EU-citizen. We want to apply for the EEA Family Permit-Card, so that my wife can easily travel into the UK for a permanent stay. My new work will start in January.

I'm able to find the most information using google, but in case for the "Date of Intended Travel" I'm unsure what would be the best date for us to input (because the 6-month validity calculationn is based on this date).

Let me describe our travel-plan to draw a picture:
We will go from the 11th December until the 17th December to England to view flats and create current accounts. On the 17th December we will travel back to the country we are living in at the moment.

Then, our final one-way trip to the UK will be at the earliest on the 27th December 2016 and the latest on the 3rd January 2017. We don't know the exact date yet.

My wife wants to enter the UK during our first trip using a tourist-visa which will be issued at the boarder.

Now for our final trip,
which date should we use as "Date of Intended Travel" in the online-application? Should it be the 27th December or could it be the 3rd January?

My concern is, when we have to cross the boarder before the EEA Family Permit is valid, then my wife has to use a tourist-visa. Would the EEA Family Permit become valid also, when we are already on the UK on the start date? Or are we forced to cross the boarder on or after the validity date?

Thanks,
Hannes

[Casa]

Your timing is crucial here. If there is an application for an EEA FM permit registered on the UKVI system, this will flag up when she attempts to enter as a non-visa national.

The intention to settle will result in a refusal by the Immigration Officer at UK Border Control.

One other point. Without documented proof of address, utility bills etc., you are unlikely to find a bank which is willing to open an account.

[hannes7]

Hi Casa,

So, in other words: We should apply for the EEA Family Permit-Card beginning from the 11th December?
We want to submit the request for the EEA Family Permit this week.

In regards to the bank account.
Since the 18th September the guideline 2014/92/EU has to be executed.
For example Lloyds offers the "Basic Account" for which it is possible to identify myself using my ID-card in a branch: https://www.lloydsbank.com/current-acco ... #tab-row-5

(Or by sending my original documents to Lloyds - But, I don't trust this route for reasons... )

Hannes

[Casa]

Yes, but your wife is unlikely to be able to enter as a non-visa national as a visitor once you've submitted the EEA FM application.

[MrSlyFox]

For opening a bank account you can use an ID card or passport as proof of identity but you will have trouble without proof of address: i.e. council tax, utility bills etc. Which makes opening a bank account take months till you receive a document to use as proof of address.

So the account will be to your current/ soon to be old address overseas?

[hannes7]

@Casa: Ok, thanks.

@MrSlyFox: Based on the new guideline (I have posted information above) you are able to identify yourself with an EU-address (for example, my ID-card contains my current address). I have to admit, that I didn't spend a thought before it, but I don't see a problem to open a bank account on my current address and change the address when I'm moved finally.

Hannes