Dependents of EEA Nationals
If you have a right to live the in the United Kingdom, your family may join you. You family is defined as:
- your spouse or civil partner;
- children or grandchildren of you, your spouse or your civil partner, who are under 21 years of age or who are dependent upon you;
- the parents or grandparents of you, your spouse or your civil partner.
If you are a student only your spouse, civil partner or dependent children are entitled to a right of residence.
Other relatives, for example extended family members such as brothers, sisters and cousins do not have an automatic right to live in the United Kingdom. To be considered, the extended family member must be able to demonstrate that they are dependent on you and that they lived with you before you came to the UK.
If you and your partner are not married or in a civil partnership, then you must be able to show that you are in a durable relationship with each other. The Home Office often interpret a 'durable relationship' as one where the couple have lived together for at least two years, although it can be possible to prove a 'durable relationship' in other ways.
If your family members are not EEA or Swiss nationals and are coming to live with you permanently or on a long term basis they should apply for an EEA family permit before coming to the United Kingdom. The EEA family permit is similar to a visa.
Once in the United Kingdom, family members who come to the United Kingdom with an EEA national but who are not themselves a national of an EEA country can apply for a residence card.
