Polish female bringing a chinese husband to the UK -advice needed :)

hi everyone,

well. so the thing is this:
i'm a Polish girl currently living in China, got married here to a chinese boy. september this year, i'm going to begin studying at an english university. of course i'll have to work too...i've worked in the UK previoysly for approximately one and a half year. my question is:

will my chinese husband be able to come to the UK, live there with me and be able to work? i mean, what are the regulations for that matter? will he have to fullfill any conditions or something...i thought that the fact he's a spouse of a EU citizen is enough for him but someone set me thinking that may not be the case...

thank you so much for any responses. we wanted to book tickets soon but if he's not able to live in the UK with me i guess we'll part for a few years...:( no other option.

An idea, contact the Home Office directly. Numbers on their website. Sometimes you come across really nice helpful people there.
Or you could both move to Poland for a while and get things sorted from there and move across. Should be easier...

you're right probably...just the phonecalls to england are so expensive from here, then they probably put you on hold for twenty minutes etc :)

but do you think English embassy in poland would avise something reasonable? i'll ask my parents to call them i guess...

yeah we're planning to come to poland first, but i have to go to england in september and if he can't go, there probably is no point for him to come to europe at all...what can he do in poland without me, not knowing the language?

Hi.

The link below is to the home office pages on your rights as an EEA citizen. It clearly states that your spouse in entitled to live and work in the UK. Look at the section that refers to a spouse who is not an EEA citizen as there is a type of visa required that your husband will be able to obtain from the British consulate in China.

ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/eucitizens/rightsandresponsibilites

yes, EEA family permit :) i've been doing some research too.

ok, so now i know most of the things i guess...thanks a lot. i'm glad it's possible.

I dont want to put you off, but you stated that you will have to work while you study, at present there are over 2million unemployed so the chances of finding part-time work is going to be tough, You will not qualify for any kind of financial assistance and niether will your husband, chances of your husband finding work, unless is has some kind of "special" skill is quite unlikely. It might be easier and less stressful to study in Poland, at least you will have family support and better chances of finding work while you study. Good luck.

oh, thanks for caring about my fate :)

but the thing is, as far as i know i would qualify for financial assistance in case i can't find a job -jobseekers allowance in this case- i know many Polish people claim benefits in the UK, on the same rights as the indigenous citizens do :) or maybe you mean students don't qualify for that, just full-time workers? i'm not sure actually...not that i plan to become a parasite sucking the british society, usually the university itself has services helping its students finding a suitable part-time job. anyway, i am keen on giving it a go as Polish unis are not as good as the british ones...the system of teaching is entirely different, cramming lots of pages only to forget most after the exam. in england you focus more on the practical side of things, like you have lots of workshops, you do your own research, you are encouraged to develop your own opinion on various topics and try to support it :) totally different formula.

as for my husband, well...i realize it may be a bit tough to find him some decent job, but i still think it'd be easier in the UK than in poland as he knows english and no Polish at all :) well he can jump with a parachute but i doubt that would turn into any financial advantage :)

and my family will support me regardless of whether i study in the UK or Poland :) i just hope i won't need that to a significant degree....

Wrong, this is a contribution based payment.


If they have spent time in the UK and paid tax and insurance then of course they have the same rights.


Exactly.


I wasn't suggesting that at all, I was just letting you know about the reality at the moment in the UK, things have drastically changed over the past 6 months :( As I stated, 2 million plus out of work and those "part-time" jobs are few and far between.


Dont be so sure about that, ive heard good things about Poilsh unis, I know a few people that have left the UK to finish off their studies back in Poland.


You know the reality of both, so I suppose you can see the benefits for your particular course.


It might be tough for him to get any kind of a job, I don't want to be negative here, but remember that we are starting to go through the worst recession we have been through for years :( And he, like you will not be eligable for any kind of financial assistance, if he cannot find work and been in continuous employment for over 12 months.

ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/eucitizens/rightsandresponsibilites/#header3

Do you really want to scrape by on JSA ?

You have to have had a job here first and lost it before you can claim anything. Not sure if your previous employment here helps with that though. I guess it would depend how recently you worked here.

As ShelleyS has said, you're not picking a good time to come here to work. Does your husband speak enough English to stand a chance here ?

What do you do in China ?

it makes me sick to see how people look up all the possible benefits they could get before moving to the UK. This is what we in the UK pay our taxes for and sometimes even we cant get benefits if we are out of work and believe me at this time there are not enough jobs or benefits to go around. I suspect that studying in Britian is not the only attraction here. Lock down the borders and tighten up the benefits system.. blimey, Im sounding like 'no-immigration.'

Anyway, he way not even be granted his visa as it states on the sites, he can "apply" - they may refuse him. There is strong talk of restricting the issue of visas because of the economic crisis.

If he's a qualified person then I don't think you need to worry about it. Search for jobs online and apply for it

The second option for him is to come as a student and then work his way up

Foxtrot, maybe you are not reading the newspapers, but there are around 3,000 people per day being made redundant in the UK. He has little or no chance at present of getting a job, unless he has some very very "special" skill which is still in demand in the UK

visabureau.com/uk/news/21-01-2009/uk-to-restrict-advertising-jobs-overseas.aspx

Looks like he is only allowed a visa for 6 months initially under the rules as he is not living here already. Like I have said, they don't have to issue a visa.

EEA Family Permit Requirements (for non-EU citizens outside the UK)
The EU citizen intends to exercise their Treaty rights in the UK (employment, self-employment, study, self-sufficient, etc)
The couple must be legally married to each other / in a civil partnership with each other
They must have met each other
They must intend to live together
The couple must be travelling to the UK together or the EU citizen should already be in the UK

Conditions of the Permit
An EEA Family Permit would in this instance would usually be issued for 6 months and allows unrestricted employment in the UK for the duration. In the course of those 6 months it is expected the EU citizen applies for a Residence Permit (if not already held) and their spouse/partner applies at the same time for a Five Year Family Permit.

Sorry, but that bit really may me chuckle ;-)

Kambilia: but the thing is, as far as i know i would qualify for financial assistance in case i can't find a job -jobseekers allowance in this case-

Wrong, this is a contribution based payment.

Kambilia: i know many Polish people claim benefits in the UK, on the same rights as the indigenous citizens do :)

If they have spent time in the UK and paid tax and insurance then of course they have the same rights.[/quote]

that's strange, last time i was in the uk i was told i can apply for benefits until i get a job...and before that, i've only worked as an au pair and haven't been registered anywhere, no insurance or tax payments...well maybe i wouldn't still get it.


if i have no choice, why not?


hard for me to estimate his level...not perfect, especially the grammar, knowledge of less common words etc :)but that's the language we communicate in everyday so not very bad i guess...


teach english :) so not very useful in the UK, heh. and i doubt there will be some people wanting to learn chinese ...he's going to do an acupuncture course soon, maybe he could do that somewhere...or on our own.


must be a good reason for that :P


course not, it's just an excuse. we have a thorough and cunning plan to suck your country off all possible benefits we can lay our hands on, for which you've paid taxes for so many years. to be honest with you, we're also going to take loans from all the banks we can get them, set up some fraudulent buissness and money laundering, then finally escape back to China, financially aided for the rest of our lives.

unfortunately, there's little you can do to prevent it.

Britain, here we come !!!! :D


i think there's little chance of that happening...would they part families to do that? i think it's one of the most important reasons to be given a visa...


not really :) i mean, he didn't study at the uni or anything...just finished high school, then army...
but we may still look online for something...


tuition fees for overseas students would kill us :( with me it's a different story, i'm the eu citizen.


yes, then he will have to extend it for another 6. when i have worked 12 months in the UK without break, he'll be given a visa for 5 years.


this is to prevent fraudulent marriage arrangements, when people not have met each other and don't intend to live together, but get married for one side to get a UK visa while the other one is given money etc. like women from Cuba marrying the americans for visas :)

sometimes they ask for proofs of the relationship in the embassy, like photos, letters etc. for this purpose.

I will remember this when I'm homeless, destitute and drinking cheap bottle of sherry on the streets with my mangey dog beside me:)

Love the humour

They can do what they like, a visa is granted - it is not a given that he will get one - refusals happen all the time and judging by your attitude, I really do hope that they refuse you... ;)


Why should the UK pay because you can't aford to support yourself, you chose to come here..No?


Im not aware of what benefits are on offer in the UK having worked all my life, but I'm sure as someone just walking in to the UK without having paid a penny, you wouldn't get a penny - you are a member of the EU and rules are rules, oh and because you are a "new member state" the rules are quite different.


There doesn't have to be a reason, you are assessed and then they take a decision.


Then he has no chance of finding work, unless he works in some restaurant.


You still have fees, uni education is not free in the UK.

Suggest you read this article - You might want to re-think coming to the UK :)

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3693615.stm

Facts are facts and viewpoints are viewpoints...i suspect that Kambhilla is on the hunt for facts and is being fed viewpoints many of which are negative (probably justified).

Facts1. Your husband will get Dependent EEA status which gives him access to jobs,its unlikely your husbands visa application will be refused unless your marriage is a sham.

Fact 2. He may find a Mc JOB(its likely he will as there are many minimum wage jobs no one wants but its increasingly difficult and it may be a while before he gets it)

Fact 3. You will need to be resident here for a period ( I dont know if its 6 months or 1 year) before thinking of claiming under the benefit system.

Fact 4. He pays exactly same tution fees as you if he joins Uni

If you and he intend to come and work Mc Jobs then the quality of life will be poor(flats with 11 people living in it,poor location of housing etc) and expenses high(food,gas,insurance,travel etc) You may end up saving some money but whats the longterm outlook..bleak

I suggest he and you get as much education/degrees as possible in china/poland where its (probably)better, cheaper and by the time the economy improves in a few years move here if you still have an inclination for it as a productive "working" member of society.

If you have a 1000 pounds to spare on a gamble and a tendency to take a chance you make still end up with bare necessities,but it could all go horribly wrong and you may lose that 1000 pounds too.

who the hell will prevent chinese from going to Britain?NOBODY