EEA family permits - route to the UK for non Brit spouses

Through the door of the sun - then into the rain.

After posting on the "wife is Belgian" thread, I did some digging by searching several EU consulate/embassy websites as well as other expat threads related to EEA family permits.

For discussion or interest there may be another option possibility – it just takes a bit of imagination

http://ec.europa.eu/youreurope/citizens ... dex_en.htm

from the UKBA website – EEA family permits

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/eucit ... ly-permit/

"Although the UK is a member of the EEA, a non-EEA family member of a British citizen should not generally come to the UK using an EEA family permit. However, a non-EEA family member of a British citizen living abroad can apply for an EEA family permit to join the British citizen on their return to the UK if:

•the British citizen has been living in an EEA member state as a worker or self-employed person; and
•the family member, if they are the British citizen's spouse or civil partner, has been living together with the British citizen in the EEA country."

As a British citizen with a non EU spouse living in Canada, the USA or somewhere else, sometimes you may want to go directly to the UK & settle. The partner spousal visa can be cumbersome, costly & take forever

So why not consider spending time living & working in an English speaking area or country of the EU before deciding if the UK is where you’d like to be.

Ones doable are Spain & Malta or France if you are fluent in french

The route & any cost doing this is can be zero to a few Euro's