Surinder Singh for Newbies - 2015 extended edition


Author : David B,

The extended 'Surinder Singh for newbies' is now available for 2015, and it looks great. David has excelled himself once again.

PDF format, on Scribd : 
http://www.scribd.com/doc/231192464/Surinder-Singh-for-Newbies

EPUB format (good for certain mobile browsers), on Scribd :
http://www.scribd.com/doc/238175630/Surinder-Singh-for-Newbies-Exte-David-B

Word format, on Scribd :
http://www.scribd.com/doc/238175692/Surinder-Singh-for-Newbies-Extended-Edition-IRELAND-2014

PDF format, on Hashdoc (for those in jurisdictions which block Scribd, or for people who just prefer not to use Scribd) *** NEW 28/Aug/2015!!!**** :
https://www.hashdoc.com/documents/77893/surinder-singh-for-newbies-pdf

Now including (2014) :

1.       New front cover graphic!
2.       Print out itineraries/hotel accommodation
3.       Visa is free
4.       Cover letter incorporating the old and the new one
5.       Relevant parts of the Directive
6.       If quizzed on entry what to say.
7.       Warning ‘Do not mention ‘Surinder Singh’ on entry
8.       Don’t be alarmed at number of days stamped in passport
9.       Factor in Prices, Health Care, and Transport
10.   New links to Self-Employment
11.   Non EU working without stamp 4
12.   New link for PPS numbers
13.   Opening Bank Accounts /Changes
14.   Submit EU1 earliest opportunity and include cover letter for missing docs.
15.   Centre of Life issues
16.   Family Permit Apps and inclusion of ‘Teleperformance’
17.   Map with locations and distances and times to travel to Dublin
18.   PRTB explained in Family Permit Docs section.
19.   Section 5 on EEA2 app relating to Singh and tick box if you have FP
20.   Warning about planning and lack of planning
21.   Additional useful sites

And for 2015  :

1.      Introduction ‘Who Is Surinder Singh’?
2.      Cain Ruling, with regards to unmarried durable relationships.
3.      Marriage information site regarding getting married in Ireland.
4.      Rewrite and change of fonts to make the guide easier to read.
5.      Info on 30 day limit to submit all documents for C visa.
6.      Travel any time within the validity period of C visa.
7.      Emphasis on irrelevance what is stamped in passports on entry (90 days)
8.      Stress importance of choosing location regarding homes and jobs.
9.      Hidden costs e.g. TV licence, dentistry etc. and how expensive.
10.  When choosing schools, make sure they are not oversubscribed, other costs include school uniforms & books etc.
11.  Extra house rental sites added.
12.  Article 23 from Directive confirming right to work for non EU.
13.  Warnings on costs of living.
14.  Overview of PPSN with added sites for tax & PPSN information.
15.  Sending in EU1 application before resuming work.
16.  Explanatory Leaflet EU1 link.
17.  Check Bank charges with link to comparison websites detailing charges.
18.  Explanation of PRTB.
19.  Suggestions for integration into your local community for COL.
20.  New EEA(FAM) RC application form + new fee and fee for biometrics.
21.  Emphasis on patience will be needed throughout your stay in your host country.
22.  To offset printing and photocopying costs suggest buying a cheap 3 in 1 printer.
23.  Change of disclaimer description to now include people need to consult a lawyer or immigration specialist if needing advice.
24.  New front page cover with new wording and description.
25.  New graphic and vector art to compliment the wording and new site inclusions.
26.  Explanation of abbreviations e.g. FP, COL, RC etc.

It's important to highlight that this is a guide, not a manual, as things change all the time and the nature of these things means that the sphere of knowledge is always growing.


This route is not easy - and preparation is key. But the rewards are great.


EEA visa - EU free movement - A great Facebook support group for people going through the route :
https://www.facebook.com/groups/650212281695959/

A video on one family's experience of the route :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1-v0cV2Y8
 

Country-specific guides by Sonel (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Malta, Netherlands, Poland) :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/surinder-singh-country-specific-guide.html
https://www.scribd.com/doc/239558037/Surinder-Singh-country-specific-guide


Surinder Singh stories (lots of links to various people's personal experiences at the bottom of the post) :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/another-experience-of-surinder-singh.html


Malta in a nutshell by David and Dee :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/malta-in-nutshell-author-david-and-dee.html


Surinder Singh in the Netherlands by Amanda :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/surinder-singh-in-netherlands-by-amanda.html

 

What is the Surinder Singh route and how does it work? Surinder Singh archive by Wayne :
http://surinder-singh-route.info/


More Surinder Singh links :
http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/surinder%20singh

Good luck.

 

http://britcits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/id-like-to-teach-world-to-singh.html

Surinder Singh country specific guide

with updates and brand new sections for Denmark and Netherlands available here.  A massive thank you to all the contributors for sharing your experience.  For those with anything to add, major or trivial, please contact us! If your contribution helps even one person it's gratefully received.

Surinder Singh - country specific guide

Author: Sonel  

Surinder Singh guide

Free movement rights afforded by European regulations are a saviour for British citizens with non-EEA family members who find Home Office’s interference grossly disruptive.  Surinder Singh is an extension of these rights whereby Brits move to another Member State with their non-EEA family, to then live together in the UK, under EEA regulations rather than UK immigration rules.  

If followed in accordance with regulations and Home Office interpretation of the regulations, the Surinder Singh route can be favourable, incurring negligible visa and legal fees, no language tests to pass, nil financial requirements, and no intrusive five year probationary period.  Non-EEA family members also have recourse to public funds. This is in stark contrast to those falling under UK immigration rules.

Despite the obvious advantages, exercise of free movement rights, even where the intention may be to return to the UK, is not a decision made lightly.  Relocating is expensive and inconvenient, especially when there are kids, elderly or disabled involved.  Where someone has a secure job in the UK, albeit one paying less than £18,600, the decision is even more difficult and uncertain for the family’s financial security, with added concern over obtaining work in another country, finding housing, managing school admissions and going through all that again on return to the UK.  Surinder Singh is also not an option for residents and refugees, nor does it help citizens unable to leave the UK because of financial or family obligations.   

So while it provides hope for some families, Surinder Singh is by no means a permanent solution for divisive domestic family immigration rules. 

BritCits will therefore continue to campaign for fair family immigration rules in the UK.  However, alongside the campaigning our aim is to help at least some families who whilst being unfortunate to be impacted by UK’s immigration rules, are lucky enough to be able to use Surinder Singh.  

Some who started the process with the intention to use Surinder Singh to return to the UK fell in love with their adopted home and now have no intention to return.  While most of you will be itching to start your life in the UK as a family, I urge you to treat living in another country as a fun adventure – make the most of the new culture, language, environment you find yourself in, even if it is just a means to an end.  Leave your adopted home with fond memories. 

I hope this guide providing practical tips and an overview of the process, makes exercising free movement rights smoother, by allowing readers to benefit from the experience of others who have already forged the path, and sharing things they wish they’d known when they embarked on the journey themselves.

Clyde and Xudan

Our family is completely broken. Thank you UK government, well done! If only you had let Dancy into the UK in the first place probably none of this would havehappened – Clyde and she (and my husband and myself) would have had so much less stress – and stress is a huge contributory factor to other expensive health problems...

A few weeks ago, I met Clyde and his mother, Joyce, at the All Party Parliamentary Group inquiry on the effects of the new rules ( http://www.migrantsrights.org.uk/blog/2013/03/parliamentary-inquiry-family-migration-update-and-next-steps ).

Because of the rules, Clyde lives in Belgium to qualify for family reunion (he caught the Eurostar just after the meeting).

The story, from Clyde's mother's perspective, is here : http://www.scribd.com/doc/130872886/Clyde-and-Xudan2 

Clyde's own story is below :
---

'I am a British citizen from a family that has roots of over 500 years in the UK (we know this due to my mother's passion for genealogy).

'All people in genuine loving relationships just want to be with their families. The new laws from the 9th July are preventing this.

'5 years ago, while working abroad, I met my future wife. We have been in a loving relationship ever since. I myself have spent 2 years living and working in China in order to be with her.

'We were married in the summer of 2011, after which we naively decided it would be a good time to invite her to the UK to meet my family and learn more about British culture. At that time my grandmother (an 88 year old British citizen who had hardly left the UK in her life) was desperate to meet my wife, knowing that she didn't have much longer left herself.

'We applied for a family visit visa, but were shocked and hurt when we heard the news that the visa had been rejected, not because of a problem with the paperwork, but due to the fact that we were married! The UKBA didn't trust that she would leave after her visa expired (something totally against our family principles).

'We had to get an immigration lawyer involved at considerable expense, and after an appeal, we were given a reduced length visa (half the allowed 6 months). We were so happy to finally have Xudan come over and my grandmother was so happy when they met that she cried.

'Unfortunately this happiness didn't last, as after only 3 weeks together my grandmother died. The time together that was denied us by the UKBA can never be recovered.

'In January 2012, we started preparing to make an application for a settlement visa to allow my wife to stay longer in the UK. She's a qualified Chinese teacher, a skill in high demand in the modern world. Due to the volume of paperwork involved, and logistical difficulties obtaining it, it was August before we were ready to submit our 300-page document. Unfortunately we missed getting our application in before the new and inhumane laws came into force on the 9th July 2012.

'Despite having an annual income equivalent to £21,000, and being owner of my own property, we were rejected for financial reasons, mainly being that as I was a teacher on short-term contracts, I could not guarantee my income for a long time into the future (like one year).

'We have made an appeal and are now waiting, possibly for a year or more without any information about how long it is likely to take.

'The stress and isolation is unbearable. Being unable to live any longer with the uncertainties. I have had no choice but to leave the UK and move to Belgium, in the hope that I can get a European visa for my wife. I have had to leave my property, my job and my life in the UK. I feel like I have been exiled by the government, and if I go to China I won't be able to earn enough to ever make the financial targets, so will never be able to move back.

'My day-to-day life feels unreal to me, I’m married, but in the last 12 months have only been able to see my wife for 6 weeks in total. The loneliness and instability has got to a stage where it has caused deep depression, and I am unable to sleep at night. Let down, exiled, and facing a future of uncertainty, this means that I have lost a good part of my life, which should have been a happy time for a newly wed couple starting their life together.

'The rules are being enforced with absolute strictness and no leniency, no consideration of individual circumstances is made, as can be seen by the way that third party support from my parents was denied. Does the government understand what a family is?? We want to contribute to society, not depend on it, but we are even being denied the chance to do this. Sadly, the stress has also seriously affected my mother, who has tried everything she can to help us in a way that good families do.

'How can the government say it promotes the family when it has broken 3 generations of ours, and many more families that are in the same boat.  Unless they have been through this, people cannot fully understand how the difficulty, sheer effort, and uncertainty can get into your bones and affect your life. No one who hears about our situation can believe that the government could introduce and continue to support a policy which is so damaging to genuine couples and families.'