Can my father enter the UK as an EEA family member?
I am Italian but I have lived in the UK for about 2 years. My father, who depends on me, lives in Italy. He has a residence card of a family member of a union citizen (EEA). Can he visit the UK without a visa? If yes, what documents does he need for travel.
Best Answer
Can my father enter the UK as an EEA family member?
Because your father depends on you, yes, he can.
Can he visit the UK without a visa?
Probably. The card in the image is not a "common format" card, and I recall having seen that listed as a requirement for visa-free travel, but the requirement is absent both from the uk.gov information page and from the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2016 (see regulation 11).
In order for your father to use that card to enter the UK without a visa, you must be in the UK, and, because you've been there for longer than three months, you must be a "qualified person." In other words, you must be either (as defined in regulation 6)
- (a) a jobseeker;
- (b) a worker;
- (c) a self-employed person;
- (d) a self-sufficient person; or
- (e) a student;
You also ask:
What documents does he need for travel?
He should of course bring his passport and his residence card. The immigration officer could ask him to prove any of the following:
That you are in the UK. Perhaps the best way to do that is for you to be at the airport when he arrives, with your mobile phone fully charged.
That you are his son. A copy of your birth certificate would be best.
That you are an EEA national. He should have a copy of your passport or national ID card, and you should bring the original with you.
That he depends on you. They probably won't ask about this given the Italian residence card, but they might.
I suppose there's a small chance that the validity of his residence card could be challenged because you have been absent from Italy for so long. To avoid that potential problem, your father could apply for an EEA family permit.
Pictures about "Can my father enter the UK as an EEA family member?"
Can a EEA family member travel to UK?
If you're an EU , EEA or Swiss citizenEU , EEA and Swiss citizens can travel to the UK for holidays or short trips without needing a visa. In other cases, find out if you need to apply for a visa to enter the UK .Can EU citizen bring parents to UK?
Any EU citizen taking up residence in the UK in accordance with the EU regulations can bring their family with. The EEA family permit or visa is valid for six months. The permit allows the holder to enter and leave the UK as many times as he/she needs to.Who is a family member of an EEA?
A family member means a spouse, civil partner, child under 21, child over 21 who is still dependent on his/her EEA parent or step-parent, or a parent or grandparent who is dependent on the EEA national.Who can apply EEA Family Permit?
Am I eligible to apply for an EEA Family Permit? In order to apply for this form of Entry Clearance, you must be from outside of the European Economic Area (EEA). In addition, you must be a family member or 'extended' family member of an EEA citizen. There are also other ways one can be eligible.Is an EU Settlement Scheme family permit or an EEA family permit best for me? ✅
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: cottonbro, Pavel Danilyuk, Pavel Danilyuk, Pavel Danilyuk