How long will it take? EEA1 and EEA2 were submitted 11/09/2008

The Home Office STILL has our passports. We sent off the applications and our passports to the Liverpool address hoping it would speed up the process, but it's taking forever.

The website states that they are still processing Feb 2008 applications, but my dog, why is it taking that long?

I'm trapped here and need to get to the states before I'm too pregnant to fly!!!

Any insight would be appreciated.

EEA applications are currently taking 9 months.  The  EEA national can expect the passport back in around three or four months, the non-EEA national will have to wait.

If you need to travel, you can ask for the passports back without withdrawing the application, and if you have the Certificate Of Application this will be enough to get you back into the country.

Vicky

Have you received your Certificate of Application yet?

I'm not sure if I received the certificate, but will look at the letters we each received.

How can they expect you not to need your passport for that long? I'm really amazed at the system.

DH and I were planning many weekend trips to mainland Europe and so far this plan of being closer for ease of travel has completely gone out the window. I can say for sure that this has caused me to have major homesickness as I'm stuck here and can't travel as we had planned. I'm just really sick over this.

When I called a couple of weeks ago, they wouldn't even talk to me as they had not had my application 14 weeks at that point.

They don't expect you to be without your passports for that long.

If you need to travel, you can ask for the passports back without withdrawing the application, and if you have the Certificate Of Application this will be enough to get you back into the country.

Vicky

Thank you Vicky, but why do they proceed to tell you that you can only have it back only if you have to travel urgently and unexpectedly? 

I don't see how I can claim that my homesickness and need to see my family while I'm pregnant to be an urgent matter in their eyes.

Is it really that easy for us to get our passports back? And if so, why don't they offer this information earlier.

Sorry to be a pain, but it's really upsetting that the only way I was to find out this is by posting in here and having you respond.

That is the case for UK applications, not EEA applications. You just need to ask.

Vicky

Tick tock tick tock.........

Here we are on the 10th of March and still no word about our EEA1 and EEA2 applications.

The good news is, I was able to travel to the states without issue and was able to reenter the country without my DH with no bother.

When we did travel to Amsterdam, on the return, the Immigration Officer put a 6 month stamp on my passport so I am free to travel in and out of the UK without issue. Of course, hoping that I get my 5 year residency stamp sooner than later.

It would be so nice to have this over and done with so I can get this off my plate.

I know your pain!  Hang in there! Just wondering, is that September 11 or November 9 that you sent it in? If it is September, it's time to contact SOLVIT.

Sent September 11th, received by home office on September 15th.

I suggest that on March 15th, that you contact SOLVIT to get the complaint process started. After 6 months, UKBA is in violation of the EU Regulations and filing the complaint seems to really help get the application process moving.

Well, how long did it take?

Over 11 MONTHS. Finally received it the 9th of September, 2009. They received my paperwork the 15th of September 2008. So, close to an entire year and in this time I became pregnant and had a baby. Geez, what is with these guys.

In the beginning of August I called to find the status of the application as we needed to book our US holiday. They said they did not have any information for me but if I wanted to submit a complaint they gave me an address to do so. I never did as I had no time.

A week after we booked our US holiday for October we received a letter requesting my passport back. UGH..... perfect timing. We sent it back with a letter stating that we needed it back by the 1st of October due to our travels. We received if VERY quick, within 2 weeks of sending the passport back to them. How about that for efficiency..... 

Here is our time line on EEA2 application just to give people an idea.

Nov 2009 EEA1 issued in Embassy in Madrid
13 Nov 2009 enter UK
3 Dec 2009 send off application for EEA2 - requesting passports back to allow us to travel in the meantime.
March 12 2010  - receive urgent request for further confirmation that I am exercisinf my treaty rights on the UK and further proof we live together whilst residing in Spain.
1 April 2010 - return passports and all necessary documentation to UKBA.
13 May 2010 - EEA1 vis in my passport expires
31 Aug 2010 - having heard nothing from the UKBA since April we send additional documents to inform them of our new jobs and contracts etc. as extra support for our application.
13 Sept 2010 - email official complaint form to the UKBA and also contact my MP to get them to follow up matters stating the illegalilty of time delay having now taken 9 months!
21 Sept 2010- receive letter in post dated 16 Sep 2010 apologising for delay informing me the case has been concluded and my documents will be returned to me.
22 Sept 2010 - documents returned to me. But they indavertantly forgot to return my passport and have instead issued the residence document on a piece of A4 paper ( WTF?? are these people muppets?)
22 Sep 2010 - return the residence document and request they place it in my passport and return my passport to me prpmptly.
...... awaiting return of passport sigh!

so all in all nigh on ten months to get the EEA2 processed and even then the didnt get it right.

My advice is to right and complain to UKBA and also contact your MP as soon as the 6 month waiting period has been passed. Hopefully they wont mislay your passport and issue your residence documents on a pieve of A4 paper.

As I posted below on 22 Sept my husband's passport was not returned to him when the eea2 was issued on a piece of paper, it transpires, some 7 weeks later they have written to tell us that they have not only LOST my husband's passport but also some of the original documentation we sent to them.

When asked if the standalone EEA2 document will be valid with the new passport they said it 'should' but cant guarantee what a border agent will decide.

They then informed us we may have to submit the new passport to get a new eea2 issued which would involve starting the WHOLE process again! and of course as they have lost the documentary evicdence that we are entitled to receieve an EEA2 this will be made all the more difficult.

HELL living HELL!