5 Year EEA Family Member UK Residence Permit..HOW LONG MUST WE WAIT ??

Hi guys-
Hubby applied for the 5 year EEA family member, residence permit that is granted to all European national family members (i hold Austrian passport ) but it has been 3-4 weeks since we submitted application and have not heard anything yet.

Yes we did call the home office who informed us our case is "under review " full stop . They told us to JUST WAIT and see what happens...Does anyone have experience with this ?

Since they are holding hubbys passport, we are quite anxious to know how long process may take, just an approximate time..after all , he would not be able to travel overseas until we get passport back.

thanks
Zufan

Well, I don't have any experience with your exact situation, but I would say 3-4 weeks isn't all that long really.  Give them another couple of weeks and then try to call back.  Is there any guidance on the forms you sent in about timescales? 

I know it feels awful not having your passport.  I didn't have mine for 6 months last year so I feel your pain!

No nothinig on the forms, and worse, they couldnt even give me time frame when i called them.

6 months eh ? Were you in similar situation ?

Z.

No, not really.  I was applying for citizenship.

i see.....i thought one month would suffice but hopefully i will get it sooner than later so i can go ahead with plans to travel outside the UK .

Hi, did you get the passport back then?
I just applied for an EEA Family Permit too, and I would like to now how long it took to you to get the residence permit/passport back.
Thanks,
Glauco

I still dont have any info as to how long it will take..I mailed my passport over 5 weeks ago and i thought the 5 year residence permit would be very straight forward.

Should you find any info about turn-around time on resident permits, please let me know as well.

Zu.

I know it has nothing to do with your visa but when friends sent their passport to the Home Office to continue their work visa it took almost 6 mo to get it back...and it caused problems at work as they couldn't do the traveling they had to do...I think that it takes much longer than one would think to get things through...

Somewhere on the IND site they list average waiting times, but after 20 minutes I can't find where they've hidden it, sorry.

The only thing I found in the Home Office page was this:

http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk/working_in_the_uk/en/homepage/news/announcements/operational_service.html [nofollow]

But it doesn't say really the average time for EEA Applications.

I called the Home Office yesterday and the woman told that it is taking around 13 weeks for EU applications (maybe she was telling the same thing as for the Leave to Remain Applications).
If I get any more news I write back!

Thanks you guys..

I will keep plugging away too...and see if i can get more info.

Zu.

Any news on your visa yet?
I haven´t got any answer yet.

Nah...nothing.

I just tried calling today as a matter of fact but lines were so busy that i was  automatically disconnected.

I am getting close to my 13 weeks and i havn't even recieved the initial letter of acknowledgment saying they have recieved my request. When i reached them last week they said i should request a letter stating that my case is in que or something to that effect but they do have my documents with them so i know its in their hands.

Did you ever recieve the initial letter saying they have recieved your request ?

I might need to travel to the States in a months time and i am concerned about having to pull my passport but they said i wouldnt need to re-apply but that it would delay the application if i requested they return my passport pre-maturley.

I didn´t get this letter either.

I have talked to some people in another message board and email, and they applied like us, and here it´s wht they have told me:

One wrote:
"Hi,
It took them 3 months.

I sent it in November, recieved in January. "

Other one wrote on the 22nd of February:
"We applied on the EEC1 form at the beginning of October and received our first correspondence from the HO in mid-Feb saying that the application couldn't be fast-tracked and that these types of applications were taking 6 months to decide at the moment. We think they mean 6 months from when we applied as opposed to from when we received the letter although the letter is unclear. Apparently it is illegal for the HO to take longer than 6 months to decide European applications."

And a third one wrote me today:
"Our solicitor sent our EEC1 form in at the very end or Oct, and not have heard anything back yet from the HO (It's been 4 months, but that doesn't mean that everyday I don't anxiously check the post everyday, or check the voice mail whenever I get back home from being out...so far to no avail...)"

So then you have a clue of what´s going on too! :-)
See ya,

Glauco

thanks for the update...i will keep you posted of any changes.

By the way can you tell me what other chat lines you are checking ?

There are almost no people on this chat line that share the same problem like us.

thanks
Zu.