US wife of Greek Citizen already in UK

All right, I have a rather complicated situation and I have no idea the best way to go about solving it.

I am a US citizen and I have been doing postgraduate studies in the UK for two years.  I am currently resident in the UK with a student visa.  I met the man who is now my husband two years ago at the start of my studies.  He has a Greek passport but has been studying and working in the UK since 2003.  We have been living together since June 2007 in the UK.  In July 2008 we got married in the States, but I returned to the UK after the wedding on my student visa.

I now have a new passport with my married name.  I also have a job offer to start straight away, but my current visa expires in January. 

I know that I need to get the EEA Family Permit, using form EEA (2), but I understand the waiting time is more than six months.  I travel at least once or twice a month and going this long without a passport just isn't feasible in the next few months.  Is there any way to have this done in person? 

Alternatively, since I have completed a postgrad degree in the UK I think I qualify for a 1-year work permit which I could apply for in person, but it costs something like £900. 

Does anyone have advice for what to do?!  It is extremely important that I have authorisation to work before January, when my job starts and my student visa expires.

After you've sent in your application, you can ask for your passport back so that you can keep traveling while your residence card is processing (it's not the EEA family permit btw, which is applied for outside the UK. You're applying for a 5-year residence card.)

By the way, you already have the right to live in the UK with your husband- the residence card is merely confirmation of that right (albeit one that you pretty much have to have in order to prove to employers that you can work and make it easier to travel in and out of the country.) 

The EEA route is one option.

Another is the UK option.  Because your husband has been in the UK for 5 years he is deemed to be a permanent resident of the UK.  This means that you can apply for a visa using UK rules.  The drawback - it costs £395.  The plus point - you get Indefinite leave (permanent residency) in 2 years instead of 5.


Vicky

This advice is somewhat of a relief, although it has led me to more questions!

First, is the EEA2 form even the right one to be applying on?  It is titled 'Application for a residence card in the UK by non-European Economic Area (NON-EEA) national family members of EEA nationals residing in the UK'

Second, how long after I submit the application can I ask for my passport back?  I am travelling to the States in two days for a week, to Paris 8-10 November, to Paris again 28 Nov-5 Dec, to Africa 6 Dec-24 Dec, Germany for Christmas/New Years...
Is it sensible to submit my application maybe on 10 Nov?  It would be of utmost importance to have it back before the end of November because the religious blessing of our marriage is in Paris then.  Or is it best to just wait until I am back in January even though my student visa is expiring in early January?

This advice is somewhat of a relief, although it has led me to more questions!

First, is the EEA2 form even the right one to be applying on?  It is titled 'Application for a residence card in the UK by non-European Economic Area (NON-EEA) national family members of EEA nationals residing in the UK'

As I said, that is up to you.  You can also apply on FLR (M) which costs more but leads to residency quicker.  It also only takes about 6-8 weeks to be approved, rather than 6 months. Or you could do same-day.

Second, how long after I submit the application can I ask for my passport back?  I am travelling to the States in two days for a week, to Paris 8-10 November, to Paris again 28 Nov-5 Dec, to Africa 6 Dec-24 Dec, Germany for Christmas/New Years...

You can actually apply with a certified copy, and send the original later.

Is it sensible to submit my application maybe on 10 Nov?  It would be of utmost importance to have it back before the end of November because the religious blessing of our marriage is in Paris then.  Or is it best to just wait until I am back in January even though my student visa is expiring in early January?

Are you back before the student visa expires?  If so, then it is really up to you when you apply.

Vicky