Moving to Scotland with US Spouse

Hello all,

I am a Portuguese citizen wanting to move to Scotland, where I just got a job. Me and my american wife are living in the US currently and I was wondering if my wife could accompany me and live with me in the UK until she finds a job?

There is a lot of conflicting information in the internet and I am a bit confused. Some websites say that for a Family Visa Permit, we dont need any financial requirement. How true is this?

What are the current policies of bringing non EEA country spouses to the UK? We will complete 3 years of marriage in October and have been living together since 2012.

Sorry if this has been answered previously a million times.

Greatly appreciate any help!

Welcome to the forum .

I am a Portuguese citizen wanting to move to Scotland, where I just got a job. Me and my american wife are living in the US currently and I was wondering if my wife could accompany me and live with me in the UK until she finds a job?

Yes, she can. As the spouse of an EEA citizen who will be working in the UK, she will have the automatic right to live and work in the UK with you without needing a UK visa.

She will just need to apply for the 6-month free-of-charge EEA Family Permit in the US before she moves and then apply for a 5-year EEA Residence Card once she has arrived in the UK.

There is a lot of conflicting information in the internet and I am a bit confused. Some websites say that for a Family Visa Permit, we dont need any financial requirement. How true is this?

It's completely true.

The only official requirements are:

- she is married to you

- you will be exercising EEA Treaty rights in the UK

I believe you also need to show that you will both have medical coverage while you are in the UK.

The application for an EEA Family Permit does ask for details of your finances and your accommodation in the UK, but they are not actually requirements in order to get the permit - since simply being married to you and you working in the UK is enough.

What are the current policies of bringing non EEA country spouses to the UK? We will complete 3 years of marriage in October and have been living together since 2012.

As mentioned, only that you are married and you (the EEA citizen) will be exercising EEA Treaty rights.

As long as you continue to exercise your EEA Treaty Rights in the UK, she has the right to live and work in the UK .

See here for information about applying for the family permit:
https://www.gov.uk/family-permit/overview

I believe you also need to show that you will both have medical coverage while you are in the UK.

An EU Worker qualified person (in work each week and earning enough to pay their National Insurance Contributions each week) can use the the NHS for free, as can their dependants. That's only working 24 hours a week work at the hourly national minimum wage. It has to be the EU citizen in work each week as a worker qualified person, to get free NHS from the UK for all the family.

However watch for any increases the UK may make in that earnings each week, to remain a worker qualified person and therefore still have a right to reside in the UK under treaty rights.

EU citizen jobseekers qualifed persons now only have 6 months in the UK before they lose their right to reside.