Need Urgent Help Moving and Working in The UK

If she is a Slovakian citizen, then she is part of the EEA, which means she gets to live and work in the UK. If you marry her, then you can come to the UK first with an EEA Family Permit. Once here, then you apply for an EEA residence card. As the spouse of an EEA citizen, you would (once your papers are all approved) have full rights to live and work in the UK.

The process for the EEA path is a bit easier than if she were a UK citizen (it is covered by treaty law rather than the ever changing UK law), and there are no application fees.

My husband is EEA so I know all about this and am happy to answer any questions about the process.

Overall though, take your time because changing countries is much harder than it seems at first glance. If she has had hard times in the past and they've been so hard that she feels she has to keep some big secrets, then she may still need some time to be sure about things. Everyone here will tell you that if it is meant to be, you will get there. It won't happen tomorrow, but it will happen. All the studies and qualifications you get will help you no matter what happens, so focus on that. 

Hey sharashara and Geeta thanks you for your replies I was reading the UKBA site
And I read this

"If you and your partner are not married or in a civil partnership, you must be able to show that you are in a durable relationship with each other."


So do we really have to get married because she is in the middle of a divorce as of right now but just wondering if anyone can clear up that section for me

hey well my AAS degree will be in network administration but my admissions advisor has told me that i should apply for help desk just so i can get some experience in the IT field and because i had open elective credits i was able to take help desk administration classes. After i finish my AAS i will move on to my bachelors degree in either network administration if i like it still or systems management are those 2 good fields that i should be studying? i understand IT is a pretty competitive field but im all the more willing to get all the knowledge possible.

Helpdesk is a GREAT way to get your foot in the door, but to get the pay/role you need to get the experience in networks/systems. A degree helps, but doesnt always guarantee. My partner started on helpdesk and now hes the manager of the operations team at the same ISP. He got where he is, by getting OFF the phones. I dont know how long youve been in your current job, but I'd see if its possible to make the leap to doing real work (not that call centre work, isnt work, but you know what I mean)  and getting your hands dirty. He also did a lot of work at home, building his own servers, learning linux and different distributions, etc.

Speaking to my partner, he thinks a systems administration would be best for working outside the US (but Mike works with Linux....) If you can come here for school, you can apply for graduate schemes once you have your Bachelors (though not sure how it would work post US graduation) which can help get you on the ladder.

You have to be married or living together in a committed relationship. You have to prove it as well with leases, utility bills, etc.

Helpdesk is a GREAT way to get your foot in the door, but to get the pay/role you need to get the experience in networks/systems. A degree helps, but doesnt always guarantee. My partner started on helpdesk and now hes the manager of the operations team at the same ISP. He got where he is, by getting OFF the phones. I dont know how long youve been in your current job, but I'd see if its possible to make the leap to doing real work (not that call centre work, isnt work, but you know what I mean)  and getting your hands dirty. He also did a lot of work at home, building his own servers, learning linux and different distributions, etc.

Speaking to my partner, he thinks a systems administration would be best for working outside the US (but Mike works with Linux....) If you can come here for school, you can apply for graduate schemes once you have your Bachelors (though not sure how it would work post US graduation) which can help get you on the ladder.

hey well basically i am looking for a help desk job at the moment i dont know how hard although im having a hard time looking for a entry level job i starting my associates degree in a week so i basically have yet to start any IT study or jobs but would you say it is hard to get into a help desk entry level job without a degree yet but stating i am studying for my AAS and going to move onto my bachelors as soon as i am done with my AAS. im all for a lesser pay check i know because i have no experience i will probably get a lesser pay check but again would it be hard to find a job as a entry level Help Desk Support person?

You have to be married or living together in a committed relationship. You have to prove it as well with leases, utility bills, etc.

hey geeta well how can we show that we are living together when we are not in the same country at the moment. i have met her quite a few times and im not sure if my claiming paternity of a baby that isnt mine would work. she would like to know if their is anyway we could get a EEA permit without being married she has a bit of cold feet when it comes to another marriage she believes she will lose me and what not no matter how much i reassure her that im not going anywhere from the babies life. any info would help a lot thank you all

hey geeta well how can we show that we are living together when we are not in the same country at the moment.

You can't. You need to be living together in the same country to get an unmarried partner visa. That's why getting married is your best option.

You can't. You need to be living together in the same country to get an unmarried partner visa. That's why getting married is your best option.

ahh yes i saw and i understand now and i appreciate your help well will have to break the news to her and smash that ice under her feet and get her to marry me 

Just as a note on IT in the UK, it sounds as if there are some with specialized knowledge who have managed to do it, but our experience was much more discouraging. My husband has a master's degree in computer science and spent years looking for work before he gave up. The jobs he applied for showed that there were hundreds of applicants for just one position. My husband had good marks, a master's degree, and is a UK citizen and couldn't get work.

I also have a friend who had 20 years experience in the field when his company had a mass lay off. He is now, after two years of searching for work, in a an entry level position at a call support centre and deeply unhappy.

I think the people who are finding work have solid experience and specialized skills.  Someone with no experience who hasn't even started their associates degree would stand no chance. Sorry if that sounds harsh.

Out of curiosity, you keep talking about claiming paternity of this child. What do you mean? You aren't the father. So down the road you might be able to look at adoption, but that won't be for a while if she hasn't divorced yet. Are you talking about having the emotional role of father? I'm afraid even if you were legally the father, it wouldn't have much bearing on this process.

I'm afraid the others are right. Your only option will likely be to wait until she's free to marry and come on an EEA permit or pay large student fees to study here and keep proof of living together during that time.



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My husband is a software engineer and he hasn't had a problem, but we live in the Cambridge area.  All the jobs are located in Cambridge and/or London. 

But then we can't afford to buy a house and settle down here.  Which is why we are thinking of moving out of the UK. 

Just to add 2 pence on the IT jobs topic. I am basically a support engineer/system administrator (Microsoft Certified System Engineer) in the Manchester area and I found work hard to come by but not impossible. I found a job, albeit a low paying one, with a small support company in about 8 months, after a dozen or so interviews. I felt like being an American worked against me, not so much because of the nationality but because I didn't have any local experience. IT support is about specific experience much moreso than education and training.

I honestly think that someone with very limited IT support experience and at a low support level would find a job hunt very challenging here.

Just as a note on IT in the UK, it sounds as if there are some with specialized knowledge who have managed to do it, but our experience was much more discouraging. My husband has a master's degree in computer science and spent years looking for work before he gave up. The jobs he applied for showed that there were hundreds of applicants for just one position. My husband had good marks, a master's degree, and is a UK citizen and couldn't get work.

I also have a friend who had 20 years experience in the field when his company had a mass lay off. He is now, after two years of searching for work, in a an entry level position at a call support centre and deeply unhappy.

I think the people who are finding work have solid experience and specialized skills.  Someone with no experience who hasn't even started their associates degree would stand no chance. Sorry if that sounds harsh.

Out of curiosity, you keep talking about claiming paternity of this child. What do you mean? You aren't the father. So down the road you might be able to look at adoption, but that won't be for a while if she hasn't divorced yet. Are you talking about having the emotional role of father? I'm afraid even if you were legally the father, it wouldn't have much bearing on this process.

I'm afraid the others are right. Your only option will likely be to wait until she's free to marry and come on an EEA permit or pay large student fees to study here and keep proof of living together during that time.



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i understand well i still am living in the US and it will be 2 or 4 years before i even get my EEA permit and for now i will be looking for work in the US as a help desk support person i know it will definetely be hard but im willing to keep in multiple applications wouldnt hurt to try. Im only 20 and i barely know about any of this process might sound weird but my lady is 27 so shes more established then i am but from what she has been telling me she has lived there going on 2 years and she is saying that the UK is coming out of a economic depression or something? maybe things may change by the time i move out there.

Just to add 2 pence on the IT jobs topic. I am basically a support engineer/system administrator (Microsoft Certified System Engineer) in the Manchester area and I found work hard to come by but not impossible. I found a job, albeit a low paying one, with a small support company in about 8 months, after a dozen or so interviews. I felt like being an American worked against me, not so much because of the nationality but because I didn't have any local experience. IT support is about specific experience much moreso than education and training.

I honestly think that someone with very limited IT support experience and at a low support level would find a job hunt very challenging here.

No doubt i expect it to be hard to find a job but i will try to at least get my BA and possibly go for my Masters degree in the UK. Would help desk be the right career to start off with? im not sure if US help desk experience would count like you said locally in the UK.

I think there is no magic way to game the job market -- things are just really hard and when times are tough, I think there is often an unconscious desire to give the job to people on the home team. It's a fair position too -- if you are in IT, but don't know the names of the top UK ISPs, you are at a disadvantage.

The best thing you can do is get all the experience you can. See if you can get in at a bank or other large, global firm that has a UK presence. They won't transfer you, but it will be helpful. While you are there, jump at any chance to provide support for your non-US colleagues. It will help you learn all the differences  between US and UK workplaces. Rack up all the qualifications, certifications and professional memberships that you can. When you do visit the UK, ask if you can visit the UK offices just for a tour. Remember that it is meant to be a friendly visit and NOT work, but you will want to make friends with UK colleagues if you can on the off chance that they might help you later.