If you wish to apply for a visa in this category then our team at Hunter Stone Law will be able to guide and assist you throughout every step of the process. In order to qualify for this visa you would have to meet the requirement of the relevant section of the Immigration Rules. However we have attempted to simplify the requirements below.
You can apply for a residence card if you’re from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and living with a European partner or family member.
You don’t need a residence card to live in the UK, but it can:
Please note that if you’re the carer of an EEA citizen, the carer’s child, or the child of an EEA worker and currently in education then it may be more appropriate for you to apply for a derivative right of residence card
If successful in your application then you will be granted a residence card. A residence card can last up to 5 years. After 5 years, you can apply for a permanent residence card.
Eligibility
You can apply for a residence card if you’re living in the UK with a family member who’s a European Economic Area (EEA) citizen.
There are also other ways you may be eligible for a residence card, eg if you have a ‘retained right of residence’ or as a ‘Surinder Singh’ case.
Family members of EEA citizens
To be eligible you must be related to an EEA citizen as their:
Dependent family
You can apply as a ‘dependant’ of an EEA family member if you either:
Dependants must be family of the EEA citizen, or their spouse or civil partner, and can be:
Family members who are adopted under an adoption order that is recognised in UK law are regarded the same as natural family.
Family members who are students
Different rules apply if you’re a family member of an EEA citizen who’s a student.
In this case, you can only get a residence card if you’re their child, or their spouse or civil partner’s child, and either:
Other ways you may be eligible
Retained rights of residence
You can also apply for a residence card if you have a ‘retained right of residence’, eg:
Surinder Singh cases
You may be able to apply for a residence card as a ‘Surinder Singh’ case.
To be eligible, you must be a citizen of a country outside the EEA and:
You can prove your UK sponsor genuinely moved to another EEA country with:
Documents you must provide
For each person on the application you’ll need to provide:
Permanent residence card
You can apply for a permanent residence card after you’ve lived in the UK for 5 years. This will prove your right to live in the UK permanently.
All the following must apply for you to be eligible: