EEA Visa Validation start date

Hello. Im in need of some advice. Im an American with a U.S Passport and I had recently been approved of an eea family permit on sat 30th of July. And i recived my passport back today 2nd of August. Assuming that my visa was valid the day it was issued i had purchased my ticket for the 5th of August not realizing the the valid date started on the 30th of August. Ive been looking online and some places say most visas are valid on the date it was issued and others do not. My question is this. Can i still go on this flight and will my visa still be accepted or will i be deported for any reason? My reason for being there hasnt changed so i dont see why i cant but then again i dont know.

You cannot enter the UK on the EEA Family Permit before August 30th because it won't be valid for entry until that date.

So you will either need to pay to change your flight to the 30th (or later) or you could try to fly to the UK as a visitor on the 5th and then leave again and re-enter on the 30th... You would need to show you will leave the UK though and are just visiting for that period.

What intended travel date did you put on the EEA application? Because they should make the visa valid from the travel date that you enter on the form.

The only time they make visas valid from the issue date is if the travel date you put on the application has already passed before the visa is issued.


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Thank you for the reply. So what about the fact that im legeally intitled to be there because of my eea wife being there?

What exactly would i need to show if i decided to go as a vistor then leave and re-enter the country? Could i not just go to  london or back to the airport to have my passport stamped on my family permit visa

I'm assuming your wife is NatCol, since she also posted about this, but I didn't see it until after I had replied to you so wasn't aware of your situation.

To enter as a visitor you would normally need to show a return ticket to leave the UK and evidence of a life to return to in the US (home, job etc.).

However, you have previous refused permit/residence card applications so it's unlikely you would be allowed into the UK without applying for a visitor visa in advance, but you already have the family permit, so that wouldn't work.

Honestly, I don't know what will happen if you try to enter on the 5th - you have only been given permission to enter the UK on the permit after August 30th and you are not supposed to enter before that date.

You can't get the permit stamped once you are already in the UK because it can only be stamped on initial entry, and I'm assuming it can't be stamped before the 30th... Which means you would need to do a channel hop to France or something similar in order to get it stamped when it becomes valid.

Personally, my advice would be to change your flight and not try to enter the UK until the 30th. That way, you can guarantee no issues with getting into the UK.

You could try flying on the 5th, but I really don't know  whether they would let you in or not... You could end up making things worse for yourself and being sent back to the US if they won't let you in. I really don't know what will happen though.


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Thank you for the reply. Yes she is my wife. Thank you for your advice on this difficult situation.

So what about the fact that im legeally intitled to be there because of my eea wife being there?

Make sure your wife keeps up to date with EU treaty rights on free movement, as her (and your) right to reside legally in the UK, rely on these . Your legal stay in the UK and your right to work, is based on your wife remaining a "qualified person" continuously.

Your permit and RC becomes invalid if your wife ceases to be a qualified person. This is especially important now that the UK have just made working without legal status, a criminal offence with jail time. Before the 12 July 2016, nothing much happened to non-EU citizen family members who worked illegally when their RC became invalid as it was only the company that hired them, that had action taken against them. This new law turns immigration crime, into a criminal act and will affect those who carry out a crime and well as those that help them.

Thank you all for great advices. We have rescheduled the flight for after the 30th of August.