croatia entering eu

[jenni_h]

my fiance is a croatian national and we are due to get married in september.
for the time being he is working and living there.
Someone told us he is able to come over to work in the UK without a visa as of June 2012
is this correct?

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by jenni_h

my fiance is a croatian national and we are due to get married in september.
for the time being he is working and living there.
Someone told us he is able to come over to work in the UK without a visa as of June 2012
is this correct?

Last I heard Croatia was scheduled to join the EU in mid 2013. So don't believe its citizens will be able to freely move around the area until then.

Even then, there might still be restrictions as per some other Eastern countries who have recently "joined".

[Joppa]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Last I heard Croatia was scheduled to join the EU in mid 2013. So don't believe its citizens will be able to freely move around the area until then.

Even then, there might still be restrictions as per some other Eastern countries who have recently "joined".

Only 8 countries so far have announced they will impose no restrictions on Croatian workers upon accession on 1st July 2013. Of the other 14, no official words yet but it seems highly likely that UK will apply a similar restriction currently imposed on Romanians and Bulgarians, meaning they have to wait up to 7 years before they have unrestricted access to UK labour market.

[Casypeia]

Croatia is about to join the EU in July 2013, and British Government has released first documents regarding possible restrictions for Croatians after that date.

Accession of Croatia to the European Union | Home Office

Me and my British fiance will get married in January 2013, and until we read those documents, we were sure that Spouse visa is a must for us to live together in the UK. Now it looks like we have the other option...

If I would come to visit my husband in the UK soon after our wedding, I am eligible to stay up to 6 months. That would fall into the period when Croatia joins the EU. After 1.7.2013. I can stay with him in the UK legally as I will be EU citizen, and will be able to start working.

Is there any reason, other than employment, why we should go for Spouse visa in this situation?
Appreciate your opinion.

[Joppa]

I think it depends on your Croatian spouse's status. What they have done with Bulgarian and Romanians is that until they have worked in UK for a year under accession worker card, they can't have full access to UK job market. Once they gain worker card, they can bring their non-EEA family member.
It's quite complicated and there is no way of knowing whether it will apply exactly to Croatians, you'd better wait until full announcement.

[Casypeia]

Thanks Joppa. Just to make it a bit clearer.
My fiance is British born, and I am Croatian. We meet all the requirements for a Spouse visa, but were thinking of traveling from Cro to the UK together imidiately after the wedding in January 2013, if I actually don't need a visa and I can stay up to 6 months (as non EEU member at the moment, before 1.7.2013).

Should I expect any problems entering UK as a non EU wife of UK citizen, if I state that it's a visit for 6 months? We never had any problems with our visits before.

In the Statement of Intent (18.10.2012.) it says:

WHO WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE WORK AUTHORISATION REQUIREMENT?

10. In principle, any Croatian national who intends to take employment in the United Kingdom will be subject to the work authorisation requirement. However, the following (this is not an exhaustive list at this stage) will be exempt from the requirement:

• those Croatian nationals who are legally present in the UK on the date of accession and who, on that date, are not subject to any restrictions on working (for example, those Croatian nationals who have already been granted settlement in the UK);
• those Croatian nationals who are legally working in the UK on the date of accession and have been legally working for an uninterrupted period of 12 months ending on that date;
• those Croatian nationals who work legally for an uninterrupted period of 12 months falling partly or wholly after the date of accession;
• those Croatian nationals who are also a national of the UK or of another Member State whose nationals are not subject to similar restrictions;
• those Croatian nationals who are also the spouse or civil partner of a national of the UK or the family member of an EEA national who has a right to reside in the UK, except where that EEA national is subject to work authorisation;
• those Croatian nationals who are posted to the UK by a business established on the territory of another Member State.

Basically, if Croatia joins EU 1.7.2013. I can start working, and legally stay with my husband in the UK even without spouse visa? Can you, or someone else, please confirm me this?

Or if Croatia doesn't join EU then, I should come back to Croatia and then apply for Spouse visa?

I understand it is not all final yet, but after reading all about spouse visa, now things change and we would like to know as much as possible before making a decision.
Thank you for all your help.

Originally Posted by Joppa

Only 8 countries so far have announced they will impose no restrictions on Croatian workers upon accession on 1st July 2013. Of the other 14, no official words yet but it seems highly likely that UK will apply a similar restriction currently imposed on Romanians and Bulgarians, meaning they have to wait up to 7 years before they have unrestricted access to UK labour market.

Which 8 countries are those? Where is the best place to find this information?

Originally Posted by Casypeia

Thanks Joppa. Just to make it a bit clearer.
My fiance is British born, and I am Croatian. We meet all the requirements for a Spouse visa, but were thinking of traveling from Cro to the UK together imidiately after the wedding in January 2013

Or if Croatia doesn't join EU then, I should come back to Croatia and then apply for Spouse visa?

I understand it is not all final yet, but after reading all about spouse visa, now things change and we would like to know as much as possible before making a decision.
Thank you for all your help.

Since you qualify for the spouse visa, what speaks against getting it? And that way you don't have to worry about anything else? Is it a very time consuming and expensive process maybe that you are trying to avoid?

[Casypeia]

Indeed, it is exactly those two, makes no sense to go through expensive visa process which could last a month or two just to be able to work before 1.7.2013. if we can be together as soon as we are married and wait until I can legally start working.

[BronwynBean]

Question: What would happen if you were in UK on a tourist visa = 6 months, and in that time got married and then applied for settlement as spouse?