Source: http://eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-draft-renegotiation-deal-eu.html?showComment=1456669368967
Timestamp: 2020-01-27 03:02:04
Document Index: 354353993

Matched Legal Cases: ['CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'Art 45', 'Art 7', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ']

EU Law Analysis: The draft renegotiation deal: EU immigration issues
Posted by Steve Peers at 11:43
Labels: benefits, Brexit, David Cameron, emergency brake, EU citizenship, EU reform, expulsion, family reunion, free movement of persons, free movement of workers, UK renegotiation
Sandra 2 February 2016 at 12:58
'those who did not have prior lawful residence in a Member State before marrying an EU citizen who has moved to another Member State; and those who marry such an EU citizen after he or she has moved to a Member State.'
I am currently going through the surinder singh route. Out of interest, i was a student in the UK (lawful residence in the UK) before i married my Brit husband in germany and obtained my right of residence there. he has worked there for 4 months now. do i fall under the first category? I would fall into the second category now, but since i have exercised my right to reside in Germany, that would not apply.
Steve Peers 2 February 2016 at 15:14
Thanks for this point, Sandra, it is an interesting one which had occurred to me too. I imagine there will be transitional rules which apply to you personally, but there will be other people in future who were previously a lawful resident in one Member State and then resided as the spouse of an EU citizen in a different Member State. I think we will have wait for the proposed new law to see exactly how it would work with people in that position. And if people in that position are covered in principle, what if there was a gap when they left the EU entirely for a year or two?
Sandra 2 February 2016 at 15:28
there was a gap for me too for a few months before i married in germany and got the legal right to stay. would there definitely be transitional provisions and if not, could UK refuse me on grounds that i was not a 'lawful resident' in my own right independent of marriage in Germany before i got married? I am a lawful resident now.That just seems insane.
Steve Peers 2 February 2016 at 15:54
We can't be certain there will be transitional rules until we see the law. Some CJEU case law says that EU law can't usually apply retroactively but it would be better to have this clearly in the law rather than have to fight for it in court.
Sandra 2 February 2016 at 16:09
True, but i am struggling to understand the second clause. Basically the host member state (germany) has the right to treat me under domestic immigration law since i married my husband after he moved to Germany. However, i have already exercised the legal right of residence. Would this retroactively have any bearing on any Member states i move to in the future, including the UK?
Steve Peers 2 February 2016 at 16:20
I was thinking there about people who come into Germany in future. Those there already should be 'grandfathered' by transitional rules in the new law, ie they should still have the benefit of the old law if they moved before the new law applied.
Sandra 2 February 2016 at 16:46
Yes but the question is when the new law applies? Suppose someone moved to Germany 2 years ago relying on Metock. Gets legal residence in Germany based on that. Could this person subsequently move to another member state using free movement rights? or be barred for life because he or she relied on Metock when Metock was still applicable.
Previously, 'prior lawful residence in another member state' would have been enough.
Steve Peers 2 February 2016 at 16:49
And also this comes back to the 'second Member State' issue, ie does the non-EU family member have to keep satisfying national immigration law in one Member State after another? In my view once should be enough, that is consistent with the EU law principle of mutual recognition. As with everything we have to wait for the law though to make sure.
Steve Peers 2 February 2016 at 16:54
I think if someone moved under the old law and Metock gave them the right to be in another Member State, then that should be equivalent to 'prior lawful residence' if they move again after the new rules kick in. Depends on wording of new rules though.
Sandra 2 February 2016 at 15:34
In Akrich, the main problem was that he did not have prior lawful residence in the EU and was an illegal immigrant who claimed the right to reenter the UK with his Brit wife who worked in ireland for 6 months after being deported. This was 'prior lawful residence before entering the host member state', but this new draft seems to be 'prior lawful residence before marriage' which is something quite different! What about someone who has never lived in the EU before, but who marries a Frenchman and subsequently tries to move to the UK with him using free movement?
Steve Peers 2 February 2016 at 15:51
Yes, Akrich had 'prior unlawful residence' in the UK then sought to use the Surinder Singh route to get back to the UK. That's a subtly different situation from people who have 'no prior lawful residence' like the example you give. A non-lawyer would say that sounds like the same thing and lawyers are playing linguistic pedantic tricks but they are not, at least on this occasion. The exact drafting of the new law will be quite important.
DaveLovesDee 2 February 2016 at 16:51
In whichever form this arrives in (if it does), there is likely to be a large number of Schengen/Irish 'C' visa applications refused under this, and a large number of UK Family Permit refusals.
Part of the proposed new rules seem to directly add the Home Office's 'Centre of Life' Regulation (9) into EU law.
The legal residency requirement for non-EU spouses appears to be there solely to make it impossible for any Brit to begin the SS route if the non-EU spouse us resident outside the EU.
Steve Peers 2 February 2016 at 16:57
The 'centre of life' point is in the 'clarifications' section, not the 'amended law' section - although the Home Secretary might have spotted that same point as I write. Brits can still start the SS route if they can find a Member State with a national immigration law liberal enough to admit their spouse; this might not of course be a State which it's practical for them to go to in terms of language skills or finding employment.
Sandra 3 February 2016 at 00:33
When they say prior legal residency, do they mean that youtlr legal residency in a member state needs to still be valid? What if it expired?
Steve Peers 3 February 2016 at 01:18
That's another important legal detail which the future law ought to address.
DaveLovesDee 3 February 2016 at 06:52
As always Steve, the devil is in the details.
Anonymous 2 February 2016 at 23:44
I have two passports - British and another EU. However my spouse is from outside the EU. We presently live in Switzerland, having exercised treaty rights under the EU-Switzerland free movement. Technically that might not be considered lawful prior residence in the EU (Switzerland is in the free movement zone, BUT has slightly different regulations). For example Swiss resident cards endorsed as EU family members are not accepted by the UK in lieu of a family permit. They are now the only article 10 residence cards that are specifically mentioned as NOT being valid in lieu of a UK family permit (probably because Switzerland is not EU. So despite the recent introduction of the article 10 residence cards in lieu of FPs, I still have to get a visa for my wife to visit the UK. Thus the prior lawful residence clause could make it more difficult for my spouse and I to travel to the EU (no automatic visa for example). Thus I would rather the UK leave the EU and keep the rules as they are. This would mean I can continue to travel freely within the EU with my family (using my other passport). This is especially true as I have no desire to return to the UK
Steve Peers 2 February 2016 at 23:58
It certainly looks on the face of the Commission declaration that the citizens' rights Directive would not apply at all to those who did not have prior lawful residence. But everything would depend on the text of the final law; the issue of Switzerland might be specifically addressed. I don't think it is certain that things would be the same as regards travel to the UK after Brexit; it is possible that the UK would not stay in the EEA, or would seek to negotiate free movement exceptions from it, since at least some on the Leave side strongly dislike the free movement of people. If the UK did seek to stay in the EEA it would have to join EFTA to do so; so that would mean there would be UK/Swiss free movement - unless again, the UK sought a free movement of persons exception from those rules. The UK might also be willing to remain a party to the EU/Swiss free movement treaty in its own name.
DaveLovesDee 3 February 2016 at 06:56
It's my opinion that should the UK decided to leave the EU and not become/remain? an EEA signatory (as in having to follow EU law but having no say in the making of those laws}, that trade with Europe will be affected.
Steve Peers 3 February 2016 at 07:02
It's theoretically possible that the EU would sign a deal with the UK preserving full internal market access even if the UK did not sign up to the EEA. But I believe that is unlikely, since there is no precedent for it and the EU would be concerned that it would encourage other countries to leave.
donald l 3 February 2016 at 01:33
Really fascinating blog and very informative. Thanks for putting this out so quickly. I'm very curious about how the Home Office and EU commission will interpret the clarification on "marriages of convenience". It's certainly not a very comprehensive statement but it seem to almost be potentially completely redefining what counts as a marriage of convenience unless I am mistaken. Thus far EU law seems very clear in defining a marriage of convenience as one that was entered solely or primarily for immigration purposes but this clarification seems to extend that definition to genuine marriages that have broken down. In which case that could in my mind leave a large number of couples who were legimately married but seperated but remained married before retention of rights (3 years) could be applied in a very grey area. Am I correct in thinking the Home Office could interpret any guidelines from the Commosion in this way? If so it could many people who have been following the law and legal advise for years' lives upside down. Any thoughts on this reading/interpretation?
Steve Peers 3 February 2016 at 01:40
Thanks. I think the EU definition is even narrower, and only applies to those who have no genuine relationship. Ultimately the question is whether the national courts, or if it comes to it, the CJEU, will agree with the Commission's guidance. In the meantime yes, the Home Office will likely apply the rules in practice in a way that will cause difficulties for individual cases.
donald l 3 February 2016 at 04:37
Thank you for the reply. It seems this clarification might go largely unnoticed due to the other more high profile issues in the draft but I suspect it could be very problematic. I am also really surprised the EU Commosion would suggest communicating guidelines that don't follow previous law. I would be less concerned if there were a legislative process involved with all of its checks but it seems as if the UK home office might be allowed to initially ignore years of court findings and previous EU guidelines by virtue of a simple "communication". In my own case I was a non-EU permanent resident of a EU country (Germany) when I moved to Britain to marry an EU national who I was in a two year relationship with beforehand. Our relationship was thoroughly genuine and cleared home office check but deteriorated and we seperated after two years of marriage but remain married. Now despite all assurances from solicitors and clear EU guidance on the issue it seems as if there is a chance my marriage could be reclassified as one of convenience because seperate on happened three years, which is much higher than the burden placed on Uk citizens. I was hoping to apply for my permanent residency in the Uk soon (having probably lost my previous German one due to living in the Uk) but it now seems I might have to fight for rights that even the home office have stated are mine. I'm mentioning this because I do hope that someone will raise this issue and potential misuse of any guidelines by the Home Office in the coming months. This won't just affect sham marriages as it currently conceived but many genuinely marriages that lasted years. This might not be the biggest issue in the draft but as I said I suspect many people who have planned their lives often following legal advice along the way will be impacted if the guidelines go against the clear line of what is a marriage of convenience that the EU has maintained for years.
DaveLovesDee 3 February 2016 at 06:59
I'm aware of a number of claims of sham marriage when Brits have applied for Spouse visa or EEA Family Permits, yet no evidence has been presented to support the Home Office's assertion.
I believe that this may become a more common occurrence where the Home Office can find no genuine reason for refusing an application.
Steve Peers 3 February 2016 at 11:49
Yes Donald, in a way the Commission communication with the new guidelines is going to make life more difficult in practice because the Home Office will start applying it immediately, whereas a change in the legislation will take longer to agree and may well have proper transitional rules so that no one who complied with the previous law is worse off. People can challenge the Home Office in court for applying the guidelines, but that's a lot of cost and hassle for the average person to contemplate.
donald l 3 February 2016 at 02:02
Thank you your insight into this. That is very worrying - as you point out the EU has consistently defined a marriage of convenience using narrow criteria but this text seems to defy what they have publicly stated for years. I'm curious when you think any new guidelines or clarifications might be put out? Is it likely to happen before the referendum? I'm not familiar with the guidelines /clarification process and wasn't even aware that such guidelines which are in effect legal changes could even be put out with a legislative process.
Steve Peers 3 February 2016 at 07:49
The draft Commission declaration doesn't give a date for the guidelines. Guidelines aren't legally binding so there would be an obvious tension between the text as previously interpreted and the guidelines put out by the Commission.
Anonymous 3 February 2016 at 03:26
Thanks for an excellent analysis. Regarding the activation of the emergency brake, what do you mean when you say that the European Parliament (EP) will have to approve the legislation, but would have no role on deciding if the brake should be pulled? Do you mean that the EP will have to approve that the emergency brake is incorporated into the Regulation on free movement of workers? Thanks for your clarification.
Steve Peers 3 February 2016 at 03:29
Anonymous 3 February 2016 at 03:29
Thank you for such a quick write up, I'll be following this blog closely for your on-going commentary.
I'm trying to understand how you came to this conclusion "since national immigration law will apply to their move to the first Member State" ?
In my case, I'm Australian, my wife is Brittish, we don't have any plans to move to the UK, (decided it was too difficult/stressful with a young child) instead we decided to move permanently to Ireland.
So we move in a month, I assume we'll be able to enter and I'll get my residency after she exercises treaty rights at present (she'll be working immediately) so I'll be treated under EU law there.
Now in the mean time, these new rules come in, and then what happens if my wife decides she doesn't like Ireland and wants to try and move to England ?
We married here in Australia.
Do we get treated under EU law, or under UK law because I wasn't legally resident in the member state prior to getting married ?
Appreciate you insight.
Steve Peers 3 February 2016 at 03:49
The Commission declaration says exactly that, national immigration law will apply to the non-EU family member of an EU citizen who moves to another Member State, if (a) there is no prior lawful residence in a Member State or (b) the marriage took place after the EU citizen moved there. The question for you (and obviously others) is the timing. If you move in a month that's before the law would change, so that part is fine - the question is whether, if your move to the UK comes after the law change, whether the UK could then say 'but you weren't legally resident in Ireland'. In my view there *ought* to be transitional rules which cover this, meaning that your move to Ireland should be treated as prior lawful residence since it was legal under the rules at the time. But we won't know for sure until the draft law is actually proposed, then agreed. There is a risk that the UK will then apply the 'guidance' to restrict people's return to the UK though.
Rest assured that I will raise this and other points of detail when the law is proposed and negotiated; there are people in the European Parliament who read this blog. I'll suggest some detailed amendments if need be. I can't guarantee that they will listen, but I will make the point. I expect that others will be making it too.
DaveLovesDee 3 February 2016 at 07:04
If a non-EU spouse of an EU family member isn't already living in an EU member state, then effectively this means that they won't effectively have the right to enter an EU state or apply for an Article 10 Residence Card.
If they are only dealt with under national immigration rules, does this mean Article 10 is effectively null and void?
Steve Peers 3 February 2016 at 07:09
You mean, if they are not already living *legally* in an EU Member State. The drafting suggests that they would *never* by covered by the EU Directive and so would *always* be covered by national immigration law, and never get an Article 10 card. But I wonder if this is really what is meant.
DaveLovesDee 3 February 2016 at 09:17
It may not have been the original intention, but there's always the law of unintended consequences.
I believe this would be a breach of Article 8, the right to a family life.
Anonymous 3 February 2016 at 05:02
I don't get it though. Anon's wife is a Brit and I thought both clauses only apply when you are trying to settle in a host member state with your third country national spouse. If anon's wife returns to UK, surely she is returning to her country of origin and hence surinder Singh would apply.
Steve Peers 3 February 2016 at 12:49
Yes but the Commission guidance would apply to returns to the UK and the Home Office will surely be applying it zealously as soon as they can.
Adam M 3 February 2016 at 11:37
Steve I have a question regarding this draft and its potential effects on my current situation. My wife and i currently reside in Ireland, I am the non EU citizen. We were planning to apply for a Family Permit in mid March. Assuming we get approved and arrive in the UK by April. At that stage I would be applying for a residence card in the U.K., if this law goes into effect during my application under current law do you feel the new law would mean that I would then have to meet domestic UK immigration rules? And lastly if one is currently a non EU citizen currently residing in the UK on a 5 year RC< would this draft law have an effect on applying for PR after the 5 years are up.
As always thank you for your analysis!
Steve Peers 3 February 2016 at 12:33
There ought to be transitional protection in the new law, but we can't be sure of this until it is proposed and adopted. On the position back in the home State it is possible that the UK will think it has carte blanche to apply restrictive rules as soon as the Commission guidance is published, if not before. In that case people are going to have to think about legal challenges if no other options to be with their family appeal to them.
Adam M 3 February 2016 at 12:51
Thank you Steve. Quite honestly if it wasn't for my wife needing to be with her family due to their health I would apply for her to receive a US visa, time consuming but at least they still respect family.
Anonymous 4 February 2016 at 13:54
Many thanks for this excellent information and review of the proposed changes. I (UK national) am currently considering using Sarinder Singh route for my South American Wife. I'm still in the early stages really. Do you think there is a window of time for people to still use this route before these rules come into play? Do we have any idea of the possible introduction dates?
Steve Peers 4 February 2016 at 16:30
The changes to the law (affecting the move to the first Member State) would apply either late 2016 or sometime 2017, I would estimate. The guidelines (affecting the return to the second State) would probably be published and applied earlier.
Unknown 5 February 2016 at 04:52
Can you please explain exactly what that means: first,second? I apologise for my ignorance.We would like to use ss now.
Steve Peers 5 February 2016 at 05:09
If a UK citizen wants to go to Ireland (for example) with his non-EU wife then Ireland is the 'first' State (maybe 'host' State is better). Upon return the UK is the 'second' State (I'll try to stick to 'home' state). Hope that helps.
Unknown 5 February 2016 at 05:49
Thank you so much Steve for making time to help.My wife(British) and I (dual s.african/serbian),married in 1995 in s.africa,lived there for 20 years.In 2013 she decided to come back to uk due to job insecurity and crime issues there.She works here and I've been twice on 6m visitors visa.She doesn't qualify to sponsor me (under 18.6k/y).She was offered job (elderly care)in France for several months.We are leaving in couple of weeks,when my vis.visa expires. I was never resident in any eu country.Serbia is visa free for france.Do you think we have time to use ss route under old rules,and would I qualify under new rules?
Thank you for your help. Vlad
Steve Peers 5 February 2016 at 06:08
I can't give advice on individual cases. But in general everything is still uncertain about when the new law would apply to moves to the host State, and exactly how the new guidance would apply to returns to the home State. But there's no way the new law would be in force within a few weeks. Even if the return is a problem any move to the host State made legally before the new law applies should surely continue to be legal in that State afterward.
Unknown 5 February 2016 at 07:04
Thank you very very much Steve,helped a lot Vlad
Anonymous 5 February 2016 at 13:13
Many thanks for this precise and prudent analysis.
In the conclusion you write: “The most fervent supporters of the EU are likely to see some or all of them as a betrayal of the EU’s principles that should never be tolerated. But the departure of a large Member State is liable to do far greater damage to the EU’s integration project than acceptance of these changes ever would.”
Are these things (basic legal principles and the ongoing membership of a State, large or small) commensurable, tradable things? Isn’t it troubling, for a jurist, to even consider such a trade-off?
And how do you measure the damage for integration of the UK’s withdrawal? Are we sure it is greater?
Steve Peers 5 February 2016 at 13:40
It is difficult to measure or prove things in advance. But in my view it is beyond self-evident that the departure of a large Member State - in the midst of multiple serious crises - is going to damage the EU's integration project significantly.
As for a trade-off: trade-offs have already been made. There are Member States that do not have to apply EMU, Schengen, JHA law, and defence. Several others are only going to apply EMU when they want to, no matter what the law says. There is also increased enhanced cooperation and integration outside the EU framework. Those trade-offs were made because it was unfeasible, as the EU enlarged its membership and the scope of its activities, to take every Member State with it.
Is it profoundly different to make trade-offs to keep Member States from leaving? I don't pretend to like these trade-offs, as regards unequal treatment of workers or barriers to family reunion for genuine family members. But I think it's a mistake to think that the EU must always be aiming for more integration, and should cast out any country that takes a different view or is unlikely to remain a member unless some concessions are made to it.
Thanks a lot for these further thoughts.
I don't think it's "beyond self-evident" that the UK's departure would damage integration more than its continuing membership. It would be bad, but the overall assessment will depend on one's point of view, short-term or longer-term, economic or political, more or less committed to the law, etc. The UK has always been a special member, not fully committed to integration. Its utilitarian approach (in it only if and insofar as it's good for Britain), its insistence in positive sum games all around and at all times, first irritated and then became contagious. If the UK stays, how could we be sure that this is not just a first step towards further disintegration, to be continued? A smaller Union may be weaker in economic terms, but perhaps it could be more coherent and avoid further erosion of integration achieved in the past.
On trade-offs, I think politicians may and do engage in such things. I don't think lawyers should be so eager to accomodate their wishes, bending the rule of law to breaking point. The opt-outs are of a different nature. Here we are playing, around the Treaty revision procedure, with the basic rule on non-discrimination on grounds of nationality. It's not a trade-off like the one in monetary integration or Schengen. It is a naked trade-off between unity and disintegration, achieved through dubious legal means. I don't think the Union should always aim for more integration. This is a decision of the States and their peoples. But decisions should be taken respecting the existing procedures and rules.
Finally, this is not just about "one large Member State". This looks more and more like an attempt at an informal constitutional revision, through a simplified agreement... It would not be on the table if other Member States, including another very large Member State, were not interested in the same things. Even if the UK leaves, as it may, the reforms may stay.
Steve Peers 6 February 2016 at 14:18
We'll have to disagree on what's self-evident. Remember that there are already political parties in other Member States which oppose the EU, and the UK's departure changes the balance of pros and cons of EU membership for any EU Member State that trades with it. The UK might make an effort to develop an alternative much looser model of European integration, as it did with EFTA in the 1960s.
There's been a utilitarian approach since the very first version of the EEC Treaty, before the UK joined: French agricultural exports, Italian labour migration, German industrial exports, French equal pay law, French colonial interests....it's a bit tiresome to accuse the UK alone of having selfish interests in EU membership. I don't see the net recipients of EU funds turning them down.
There's already plenty of erosion of EU integration (Schengen, for instance) that has nothing to do with the UK. And your line of argument takes the current degree of EU integration as a self-evident good, and does not ask itself hard questions, in light of the EU's current crises: was this level of integration (including enlargement) sustainable? Was it wise to develop an EU refugee policy and abolish internal border checks? Was EMU really feasible, at least with the membership it developed? Was the degree of EU integration too far ahead of public opinion?
I agree that the rule of law should not be stretched to breaking point and I do clearly state that some of these legislative amendments might breach the Treaty. In economic terms non-discrimination *is* a trade-off - and there would be a lot more discrimination against EU citizens in the UK in the event of Brexit. From that perspective the real choice is not between the status quo and Brexit - it's between compromising some principles and Brexit. In that sense our debate has an ethical dimension - are there some principles of EU law that shouldn't be compromised? What if refusing to compromise leads to more damage to those principles in practice?
And legally speaking the reforms would only take place after a 'Remain' vote (so not a 'Leave' vote), according to the draft.
Anonymous 6 February 2016 at 10:28
What will this mean for other EU/EEA countries ? Time after time it have been said that the the principp of free movement is non negotiable. It stand`s solid ad firm. Besides if
they put aside Metock, what about the EU case Sahin, sho is closely connected to Metock ? So what you are saying is that TCN - familymembers of EU/EEA citizen, have to rely on national immigration law when they return to their home state after exercising free movement in another EEA/EU country, if they got married in the host countrym or if the TCN did not have previously legal stay in another EEA country before moving to the host country ? When will the final draft be given regarding this ?
Steve Peers 6 February 2016 at 10:50
The revised law will apply to all EU/EEA countries. I think when Member States said 'free movement is not negotiable' they meant that the UK would not be able to negotiate a ceiling on the number of EU workers, etc. Rules on non-EU family members are different.
Yes, Sahin follows Metock so would no longer apply either. I'm saying that EU citizens with TCN family would be subject to national immigration law the *first time* they move to another Member State. Presumably legal stay by the TCN in that host country would count too. When the family return to the *home* state of the EU citizen then the Commission guidance would apply, with some stuff about 'evading national law'. The UK will zealously apply that, it's not clear how exactly. The final text is due on 19th February but it's possible a deal would only come later instead.
Anonymous 6 February 2016 at 11:12
Steve, In regards to returning to the state of which the EU national is a citizen. How would the new law effect the ECJ court ruling in OB VS Netherlands?
The court in this case stated that it doesn't matter for what reason the move to the host member state as long as the rules have been satisfied and family life has been created or strengthened.
Will this ruling become obsolete?
Steve Peers 6 February 2016 at 11:28
The new law would alter the rules on moving to another Member State in the first place, with a non-EU family member. There would also be a requirement for prior lawful residence of that person. Then the guidance would allow the UK (and the Dutch, and whoever else might be keen) to quibble about whether the family was trying 'evade national immigration law' upon its return to the EU citizen's home State. The ruling might still have some relevance - but it would likely be affected in some way.
Anonymous 6 February 2016 at 11:55
Many thanks for your input on this matter Steve.
Surely the ECJ court who made this ruling will object to the new changes being proposed to the free movement rules?
The changes will undoubtedly throw many challenges to the ECJ court and they can potential strike down the new rules in the absence of a treaty change? Aterall if I'm not mistake, Surinder Singh rights are derived from the Treaty.
Steve Peers 6 February 2016 at 12:42
I assess in the blog post whether the CJEU might strike this down. I think there's some possibility, but it's not that high, for the reasons I set out there.
Yes, Singh is based on the Treaties, but the later OB case makes clear that when an EU citizen returns to his/her own Member State with a non-EU family member, the EU citizens' Directive applies. The intention is to amend the EU citizens' Directive. However since there will only be guidance on return to the home State, we will see how much account the CJEU may take of that.
Anonymous 7 February 2016 at 01:51
When will this new changes, if accepted, enter into force ?
Steve Peers 11 February 2016 at 06:54
The draft says that the Commission will propose the new laws after the 'Remain' vote (if there is one). They would take at least a few months to negotiate and adopt. There is no date given for the Commission guidance.
Simon 8 February 2016 at 08:03
Hi Steve, thanks very much for the detailed analysis. Do we know when the guidance will be published? Will return to the home state for those falling foul of the new proposal (barring those who married without prior residence) be prohibited at this time? We moved to Germany three years ago and married while on a tourist visa. Can you say whether it would be advisable to return to the home state before the guidance is published or would that not be necessary? Thanks very much for your help!
Steve Peers 11 February 2016 at 00:28
There is no specific date for publishing the guidance. I assume that like the other proposals for new laws, it would come shortly after the 'Remain' vote (if there is one), but that's just a guess. I can't comment on individual cases. It remains to be seen what the guidance says, how it's applied and whether it might be challenged. Moving back to the home Member State before it's published might be prudent but could also prove to be unnecessary.
Steve Peers 11 February 2016 at 00:27
Anonymous 11 February 2016 at 02:18
Thank you very much Steve for your analysis.
You gave an example that if a German woman already in the UK married her American husband, the UK would have to treat her the same as a British woman in the same situation – but no worse.
What about a married couple, EU (not British) and non-EU, living in a non-EU country, who wish to move to the UK? Will they also have the same rights as a British citizen bringing her husband to the UK? (£18,600 threshold and English test)
Steve Peers 11 February 2016 at 02:31
Yes, that logically follows. The non-discrimination point would have to be confirmed by the CJEU (or in the legislation), however, it is not absolutely certain.
Anonymous 11 February 2016 at 02:35
Unknown 16 February 2016 at 04:29
Sorry for asking, but this makes me worried as I am in special position.
I am from Syria. My husband and I got married and lived in Lebanon for 2 years before we moved to Ireland on May 2015. I've got my family permit on 20 Dec 2015. We plane to move to the UK by the end of Feb.
Is there any chance that that law could effect us?
I'm just worried because I have no place to go to. I can't go to Syria because it got worse, or any neighbouring countries because all need visa.
Steve Peers 16 February 2016 at 05:11
I can't give advice on individual cases. But it is hard to see how any new law would be in place already by the end of February.
Unknown 16 February 2016 at 05:29
Yes, you are right, I just thought it might change the rules for people who want to apply for the UK residence card under "surinder singh" judgment.
Anyway, maybe we should wait and see.
Adam M 16 February 2016 at 12:44
Steve one final question for you if i may. I know the specifics are all still very up in the air as far as this draft deal goes, however i wondered if you could shed some light on the expected legal process to be followed. Such as if this Thursday the draft is agreed upon, does anything listen inside said draft come into force, or is it simply a placeholder to be published later as an actual proposal(s) upon the UK's vote to remain. I know you cannot answer based on specific situations, so the general question is do you feel any of the guidance regarding free movement will be in force, or interpreted by the uk as usable BEFORE the June vote. As this directly effects my and most likely others decisions to know if waiting to submit Family Permit applications until after this Thursday could be problematic.
Thanks again Steve for all your hard work.
Steve Peers 16 February 2016 at 13:57
Thanks for your question, Adam. As the draft stands now, nothing would happen until a Remain vote, if there is one.
Adam M 16 February 2016 at 14:15
Sorry to be a pain steve! Regarding section D "Interpretation of current laws" which deals specifically with the ability to deny third country nationals based on "circumventing national immigration laws", would that section be deemed usable as guidance once the draft has been agreed upon? And what are your thoughts on how that would apply since it is in direct contrast with the Surrinder Singh judgement, if someone meets those requirements then how does enforcement of that clause become legal?
Steve Peers 16 February 2016 at 14:45
It says that the Commission will issue the guidance after any 'Remain' vote. However I suppose the UK government could argue that it the main decision is immediately useful as an interpretation of the Treaties. The question is ultimately whether the CJEU goes along with that when and if it comes to it.
Anonymous 16 February 2016 at 13:09
Hi Steve, We've just applied for a residence card in Ireland and hope to return to the UK after exercising treaty rights.
It's currently taking about 7 months for Irish immigration to issue these cards. We fear we will have return to the UK after the referendum vote.
How will the new rules effect us? The draft says they will become law as soon as the UK votes to stay in the Union.
Steve Peers 16 February 2016 at 14:12
No, the draft says that the Commission will propose a new law on the move to the host Member State after a Remain vote is notified. The law would take a few months at a minimum to be agreed and come into force. The guidance from the Commission on return to the home Member State would not need to be negotiated, but then it won't be legally binding.
Anonymous 16 February 2016 at 16:07
Thank you for the very informative reply. I should have been more clearer.
What I was suppose to say, if we return after the referendum could the Home Office in the UK sate that we tried to evade national immigration rules?
Will that part of the law take effect after a couple of months as well? If they apply it in the event of a in vote, how would this effect those who want to return?
Please shed some light on this matter for all of us.
Steve Peers 16 February 2016 at 16:13
It's not clear what the relationship is between the planned new guidance on the return to the UK and the planned new law on the need for prior lawful residence in the host State. Hopefully there would be transitional rules for anyone who has acted in good faith, we'll see.
Anonymous 16 February 2016 at 16:19
Thank you for the quick reply Steve. Your posts are always very informative and I enjoy reading them.
Manuel 17 February 2016 at 11:43
Thank you Steve for your article. It is really informative and clear.
Hope you write a follow up article in the next months.
Steve Peers 17 February 2016 at 12:33
Thanks, Manuel. I will probably do an updated version of this blog post when and if the deal is done - if anything changes in the final deal.
Adam M 18 February 2016 at 03:29
Good morning Steve, something else occured to me today that I have yet to see touched upon. If indeed the draft passes as is, and the section regarding "excluding from the scope of regulation 2004/38/EC" is implemented, wouldn't that then in theory mean that Surrinder Singh as route is indeed quashed? My thinking is the case law of singh related to regulation 9 and regulation 2006, which is based off reg 2004. If all third country nationals are excluded from the scope of the very base of the case law, wouldn't it all be null and void? Secondly even if one has exercised rights before the changes, aren't EEA2 and EEA4 Residence cards in the Uk also based off the fact that third country nationals are NOT excluded from regulation 2004? I'm curious if i am understanding the workings of all of this, and have read your analysis a few times, i am just curious of your thoughts on this. Thanks again!
Steve Peers 18 February 2016 at 03:54
Thanks for your comment, Adam. I haven't thought through the logistics of how this impacts on the UK implementation, although of course that will be crucial 'on the ground'. But the intention is not to exclude all third-country nationals - just those who had no prior lawful residence or who married the EU citizen after he/she moved to another MS. Those who had prior lawful residence and who were married before the move of the EU citizen would be covered. Admittedly though that category of family would likely see no need to move to another Member State for Surinder Singh purposes.
Adam M 18 February 2016 at 04:55
Very true Steve. But those non eu citizens who married an EU citizen in a third country, would in theory under this proposal never be entitled to those rights, therefore wouldn't it translate to always having to meet National immigration law, even for subsequent moves including returning to the eu citizens home state? Wouldn't this also essentially defunct article 10 residence cards, and in the UK eea2 and eea4 residence stamps? Because if those who had no lawful residence before marrying, aren't those who would generally be the people applying for article 10 in the first place? What concerns me is this actually seems to be far more wide reaching than I initially thought, meaning Surrinder Singh would in reality be impossible, since that case law is only because EU citizens third country spouses WERE at the time included in the scope of Reg 2004.
Sorry if i am over analyzing, but not only do i find all of this quite interesting it directly would have a bearing on the choices many couples/families would have to make in the coming few months.
Steve Peers 18 February 2016 at 05:06
I assume it would be sufficient to meet the requirements of national immigration law once, although that's not clear until we see the actual legislation. Article 10 residence cards would surely still apply when (say) a UK citizen in the UK marries an American, who moves to the UK in compliance with UK law; then the family moves to France.
Adam M 18 February 2016 at 05:18
Ahh ok that makes much more sense. So the bottom line is until we see the actual proposal, and/or guidance it is all very vague. It is the wording of the initial statement that throws me off, that the third country national must have legal residence in an eu state before marrying to benefit, because that sounds to me like even if you then later DO have legal residence (Via national law of an eu nation, or you have already been legally resident under current law) you still can never benefit from Reg 2004. That is what is throwing me off, because it sounds like every time you would want to move you would have to meet a new countries National Immigration law, since you cannot change the fact that you had no legal residence before said marriage. I will just go with hoping that if someone applies for a residence card under current laws derived from Reg 2004, even if these proposals pass during said application they will follow general law and not apply the changes retroactively, which would also allow me to conclude that for those currently on an Article 10 residence card would be apple to apply for PR under the old rules.
Unknown 18 February 2016 at 12:05
Does this effect people already got resident permit under the old rules?
Steve Peers 18 February 2016 at 12:17
See the reply to the next question.
Unknown 18 February 2016 at 12:07
Does this affect non eu spouses who already have resident permit as per family reunification under the old rules? or how are they effected?
Do you mean people who have moved already to a host State, and plan to come back to the home State? Presumably there will be transitional rules - we don't know yet.
Steve you commented above in one of your ealier posts that the court in Metock and OB referred to the Directive. In the case of Surinder Singh the court has stated the right of EU national to move back to the country of which they are a national is derived from the treaty.
Surely one can invoke the Surinder Singh judgement and challenge the new rules as they would be unlawful without a treaty change?
Steve Peers 18 February 2016 at 14:26
Yes the right to return to the home Member State is derived from the Treaty, but upon return the UK citizen is treated the same as if he or she were covered by the Directive, according to the case law. That is presumably why the plan is to change the Directive, so as to a) make it harder to move to the host State and b) apply the lowered standards in the Directive on return as well. It might still be argued that this is an 'obstacle' to Treaty free movement rules, that is why there is some possibility that the guidance on the return to the UK might violate the Treaty, and the legislation might be challenged too.
Anonymous 19 February 2016 at 13:38
There's a lot of fuss at the moment on securing a deal for the UK to stay in the Union. I've not yet heard anything on freedom of movement for family members. Do you think an agreement has been reached on this matter with other EU leaders?
Steve Peers 19 February 2016 at 14:44
We will see the text any minute now...
Dave 19 February 2016 at 16:20
Its sad to see the European Union leaders have agreed to a crack down on freedom of movement for family members. The European president said that they won't tolerate discrimination between EU citizens, they have just done that.
Anonymous 28 February 2016 at 06:22
would you argue the emergency benefits brake contradicts Art 45 (2) and Art 7(2) Reg 492/2011?
Steve Peers 2 March 2016 at 01:44
Thanks for your question. The intention is explicitly to amend the Regulation, so that's not an issue (if indeed it is amended). At first sight it seems to me that it may well breach the Treaty because the justification for discrimination does not seem as strong as the cases where the Court accepted such discrimination (look at the criteria in Bressol, for instance). But the question of whether EU legislation can validly provide for this particular form of discrimination has not been tested before, and the CJEU will have the final word if it comes to it.
Unknown 6 March 2016 at 10:55
Is there any CJEU case law/secondary literature which would support the notion that child benefits could be prohibited from being sent overseas without Treaty amendment? the lack of case law on the issue makes it difficult to determine whether child benefit non-discrimination stems from Reg 883/2004 or the Treaties themselves.
Steve Peers 6 March 2016 at 12:35
Thanks for your question, Wil. The Pinna case said that not exporting benefits at all was a breach of the Treaty rules on free movement of workers. The export rule is also in the legislation. But the CJEU has not ruled on whether a limit on the total amount of benefits being exported (as distinct from a prohibition) is a breach of the Treaties. There may be a better argument that it is not, since it reflects different situations as regards the cost of bringing up the children concerned.
So, essentially, should Union legislation seek to index the exportation of child benefits, it would be a question for the courts on the basis of proportionality (as it seeks to derogate from the treaties) to determine whether this indirect discrimination is justified? Am I correct in saying so?
Steve Peers 9 March 2016 at 07:37
Yes, if the restriction on exporting the benefit is challenged in the courts, it will ultimately be up to them to rule on the legality of the restriction.
Unknown 10 March 2016 at 07:55
Unknown 11 March 2016 at 01:38
Hi Steve. Thanks for writing such an informative article. My own personal situation is that I am married to a Filipino woman, but being denied my rights as the Spanish (where I am resident) insist on the marriage being registered by the British Government. As you may know, no such register exists in the UK for marriages contracted outside of Britain. I believe this insistence is in breach of my rights, and an unlawful reason for refusal of entry for a core family member. The Spanish are relying on their own Civil Code which requires this of their own citizens, and are therefore imposing the same requirement onto us, yet the facility does not exist for a British citizen to register their foreign marriage. We have a registered (in the Philippines),authenticated (by the Philippine DFA), legalised (by the Spanish consulate in Manila) and translated (by a sworn translator) wedding certificate.
Steve Peers 11 March 2016 at 03:33
Thanks, Chris. It could be argued that one or both countries is creating an obstacle to free movement rights, but the interface between free movement law and family law has never really been addressed by the EU case law. If you wanted to pursue it further you would need to consider consulting a lawyer. As you may know the crucial issue would be how to interpret Article 10(2)(b) of the citizens' Directive, which refers to 'a document attesting to the existence of a family relationship' as a condition of getting a residence card.
Unknown 15 March 2016 at 04:46
Chris, have you contacted SOLVIT? If you have and have had no success, check out the British embassy of Manila website and see where it says "Marriage and civil partnerships We can issue affirmations or affidavits of marital status and, in some circumstances, perform a marriage or civil partnership for British nationals. ..." and ask you wife (you try too) to contact them and inquire about getting some sort of document that attests to your marriage. Perhaps, with the DFA certified NSO marriage document they can provide you such a certification, then you can get that translated into Spanish, stamped by the Spanish embassy in the Philippines and that would suffice. Many steps, yes, but Southern European countries are just overly-bureauractic and it may be worth a shot.
Anonymous 14 May 2016 at 12:46
This issues of requiring UK spouses of non-EU nationals to have a foreign marriage registered in the UK seems to occur sporadically with the consulates of some EU member states (e.g., Greece and Italy), and more often with Spain.
It must be a very frustrating issue for those trying to obtain a visa, and there does not seem to be any solution to it, since some member states even refuse to accept the 'Informative note on the Recognition and Validity of Marriage' issued by many UK consulates and embassies worldwide.
As I understand it, Commission Communication (2009/0313 final) states that "Marriages validly contracted anywhere in the world must be in principle recognized for the purpose of the application of the Directive", which is guidance, but nevertheless indicative of the EU position.
On top of that, these types of practices, as reported in complaint responses to Your Europe represent undue obstacles to the exercise of free movement within the meaning of recital 14 Directive.
Your Europe has also given some potentially helpful responses such as the following, which can referenced from the URL below it:
"The Court of Justice of the European Union has previously ruled in Commission v Italy Case C424/98 [2000] ECR I4001 that the national authorities could not require citizens and their family members to have documents certified by the consular authorities of their Member State of origin and held that by limiting the means of proof which may be relied upon, and in particular by providing that certain documents must be issued or certified by the authority of a Member State, the Italian Republic has exceeded the limits imposed upon it by Community law. (at para 37).
In Dafeki, Case C336/94 [1997] ECR I6761 at para 19, the Court ruled that the administrative and judicial authorities of a Member State must accept certificates and analogous documents relative to personal status issued by the competent authorities of the other Member States, unless their accuracy is seriously undermined by concrete evidence relating to the individual case in question In addition, the Commission s guidance on implementation of the Directive (COM(2009) 313) states that Member States may require that documents be translated, notarised or legalized where the national authority concerned cannot understand the language in which the particular document is written, or have a suspicion about the authenticity of the issuing authority."
https://www.immigrationboards.com/europe-immigration-forum/schengen-visa-and-chinese-marriage-certificate-t60669.html
It doesn't seem so much to be an issue of obtaining consular legalisation from the EU citizen member state of origin (normally the UK), as UK embassies will indeed often do this if reasons are given as to why such legalisation is required (foreign marriage certificates do not normally need to be legalised by UK consulates to be valid in the UK), but instead it seems to be an issue of requiring the EU citizen to acquire a form of 'recognition/registration/or validation' that the marriage is accepted by the UK, a form which is simply impossible to obtain unless one obtains it from a UK court of law, which would be a ridiculous requirement in order to obtain a visa or a apply for a residence card.
Let's hope some light is shone on this issue because it has certainly made life difficult for quite a few people.
Anonymous 30 April 2016 at 04:57
I am a UK Citizen living and working with good income in France for the last 2 years. I want my elderly parents who are wholly financially dependant on me to join me in france for 3 months. Will it be possible for me to use the surinder singh route if the proposed changes take into effect?
Steve Peers 30 April 2016 at 05:14
I can't give advice in individual cases. In general, though, if the changes go ahead, a UK citizen in another Member State would have to show that his or her dependent non-EU parents are 'legally resident' in a Member State before they could join him or her. Upon return to the UK, the Commission guidance would apply.
Anonymous 17 June 2016 at 15:01
How long will it take for the amendments regarding non-EU family members to be applicable if the UK votes to the remain? I am a French citizen living in the UK, I am going to marry a non-EU citizen soon and I would like to know when the new rule is likely to apply.
Steve Peers 19 June 2016 at 02:43
Too early to be sure. I would think the end of this year at the earliest, but might be later.