UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
#1
UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
I'm a dual British-Portuguese citizen, currently living in the US. I just had a UK job offer so trying to work out the logistics of getting my wife and her child (our child really, but eyes of the law..) over to join me.
It looks like the UK spouse and step-child visa route would be the easiest, we'd meet the criteria and all that but with the cost of getting the pets, our stuff, and of course them over the cost of the visas looks a little steep.
One route we thought of was getting them both Portuguese citizenship through marriage. This doesn't look too tough, but is another hurdle and potential delay to get through. I was wondering though (as from what I can tell it's so much cheaper) is whether they could be sponsored on the EEA Family visa for non-EU family, or will my applications always default to the UK as my citizenship for UK immigration purposes?
It looks like the UK spouse and step-child visa route would be the easiest, we'd meet the criteria and all that but with the cost of getting the pets, our stuff, and of course them over the cost of the visas looks a little steep.
One route we thought of was getting them both Portuguese citizenship through marriage. This doesn't look too tough, but is another hurdle and potential delay to get through. I was wondering though (as from what I can tell it's so much cheaper) is whether they could be sponsored on the EEA Family visa for non-EU family, or will my applications always default to the UK as my citizenship for UK immigration purposes?
#2
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 1,114
Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
I'm a dual British-Portuguese citizen, currently living in the US. I just had a UK job offer so trying to work out the logistics of getting my wife and her child (our child really, but eyes of the law..) over to join me.
It looks like the UK spouse and step-child visa route would be the easiest, we'd meet the criteria and all that but with the cost of getting the pets, our stuff, and of course them over the cost of the visas looks a little steep.
One route we thought of was getting them both Portuguese citizenship through marriage. This doesn't look too tough, but is another hurdle and potential delay to get through. I was wondering though (as from what I can tell it's so much cheaper) is whether they could be sponsored on the EEA Family visa for non-EU family, or will my applications always default to the UK as my citizenship for UK immigration purposes?
It looks like the UK spouse and step-child visa route would be the easiest, we'd meet the criteria and all that but with the cost of getting the pets, our stuff, and of course them over the cost of the visas looks a little steep.
One route we thought of was getting them both Portuguese citizenship through marriage. This doesn't look too tough, but is another hurdle and potential delay to get through. I was wondering though (as from what I can tell it's so much cheaper) is whether they could be sponsored on the EEA Family visa for non-EU family, or will my applications always default to the UK as my citizenship for UK immigration purposes?
https://www.gov.uk/renounce-british-...ality/overview
In the case of your wife getting Portuguese Citizenship via her marriage to you, she would need to be marry to you for three years or more and need to know the Portuguese language in order to apply.
http://eudo-citizenship.eu/NationalD...0(English).pdf
As you are not the biological father of the child, you may need to get a court order or written permission from the father in order to get a visa for the UK.
#3
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Joined: May 2010
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Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
You can't apply for the EEA Family permit for your family as you are a British citizen - and that supercedes your European status.
If you relinquish your British citizenship then you can apply for EEA FAmily permit.
If you relinquish your British citizenship then you can apply for EEA FAmily permit.
#4
Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
I don't think I'm willing to do that, what a ridiculous set of rules we have! I guess we'll see how getting Portguese citizenship works out or I'll just cope with the visa fee.
As for biological father, we used a donor but she was born in Okahoma so I couldn't be on the birth certificate. My partner is the only registered parent so I don't think we need to get permission from anyone.
As for biological father, we used a donor but she was born in Okahoma so I couldn't be on the birth certificate. My partner is the only registered parent so I don't think we need to get permission from anyone.
#5
Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
She's learning Portuguese (though my mum did get citizenship without much). I think we'd technically go for the "committed loving relationship route" as we have a civil partnership that's 4 years old, but not marriage.
#6
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Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
I don't think I'm willing to do that, what a ridiculous set of rules we have! I guess we'll see how getting Portguese citizenship works out or I'll just cope with the visa fee.
As for biological father, we used a donor but she was born in Okahoma so I couldn't be on the birth certificate. My partner is the only registered parent so I don't think we need to get permission from anyone.
As for biological father, we used a donor but she was born in Okahoma so I couldn't be on the birth certificate. My partner is the only registered parent so I don't think we need to get permission from anyone.
http://www.okdhs.org/okdhs%20form%20...y/03PA209E.pdf
That doesn't sound too complicated to me?
#7
Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
Except that those forms are very clearly for fathers, I'm female, and in Oklahoma (still actively fighting same sex marriage) that still matters.
#8
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Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
https://www.gov.uk/renounce-british-...sh-nationality
It will be the same if you got a job offer in Portugal. In order to apply for an EEA family permit for your OH, you will need to give up your Portuguese passport.
#9
Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
Interesting, though I couldn't quite work out what the fees might be if I tried to resume it again and I suspect that renouncing my citizenship would put some of the jobs I'm applying for in peril. I think we just either have to get them both Portuguese passports or suck it up and pay the fees.
#10
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Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
Interesting, though I couldn't quite work out what the fees might be if I tried to resume it again and I suspect that renouncing my citizenship would put some of the jobs I'm applying for in peril. I think we just either have to get them both Portuguese passports or suck it up and pay the fees.
#11
Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
There's no guarantee that you would be able to resume your British citizenship if you renounce it to essentially circumnavigate the UK spouse/civil partner visa rules seeing it would be at the Home Secretary's discretion. It's not a risk I would take willingly if there is an alternative so I would exhaust the possibility of Portuguese citizenship through marriage first given that Portugal permits same sex marriage.
What passport(s) does your wife currently hold? Any European ancestry of her own she could use to obtain a EU/EEA passport?
What passport(s) does your wife currently hold? Any European ancestry of her own she could use to obtain a EU/EEA passport?
#12
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Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
I'm so sorry - I should have thought twice before assuming & posting .
#13
Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
They have US passports, the wife has Irish and Dutch ancestry, though I'm not sure how far back. I also think I remember correctly that her Irish ancestor left Ireland in disgrace and fleeing the law so I'm not sure how that would work! We'll have a look though.
#14
Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
Unfortunately because of the legal limbos occurring when our daughter was born we couldn't just get married before the birth and register her as British. That really would have solved a whole lot of headaches with this stuff, but also created some new ones.
#15
Re: UK/EEA dual citizen - EEA non-EU Spouse Family Visa?
To clarify, were you born in the UK?