Hi
I have been looking into this for last few months , but I am not any wiser,rules change all the time.

"The requirements for immigration to UK as a Fiancé/e’s are very similar to the rules for married couples. You may wish to consider very carefully whether it is best to marry first and then apply for entry as this will avoid the necessity of making a fiance/e application and then a second application to remain as a spouse. However, please note that it is no longer possible for most visitors to change status to a spouse visa. The basic requirements for immigration to UK are as follows:

Unless you are engaged to an EU Citizen (not British citizen in this situation!) with a five year residence permit you must apply for entry from outside the UK. If you wish to apply from within the UK in other circumstances your application is likely to be refused unless you can show exceptional reasons why the application should be granted.
You are granted entry to the UK for a period of six months during which time you must marry your fiancé/e in the UK. If there are exceptional reasons for delaying marriage until after the initial six months an extension to stay in the UK may be granted. "

Basicaly when you enter UK ,as US passport holder you get 6 months (visa granted at the airport),so according to this if she has got 5 year residence permit in UK you should be OK. I would imagine you would get 5 years residence as well,so I do not see problem if she is workin elswhere and you are staying in UK,even thou rules say this:

"Non-EU family members rights to remain in the UK are however, dependent on the EU family member continuing to exercise Treaty Rights in the UK e.g. In employment, in business, or economically self sufficient."


As for the second question as it stands:

You only inherit rights if your spouse is with you(read move with you).e.g if she is in France with you.You can not inherit rights independently.

Regards

Triple H

 

First as an American Citizen, you don't need a tourist visa to enter the UK and can stay for 3 months. In this respect you are not subject to immigration Control. So this law will not apply to you.

You need to register at least 2 weeks before the marriage. This should give you enough time register and get married to your partner. After marriage you can then apply for a 4yr EU Residence Card from the Immigration and Nationality Dept.


You don't need to tie your apron strings to your wife to continually enjoy your EU Rights of Living in the UK and you can move back and forth at will without your wife accompanying you.

The only time you loose your EU Rights to stay in the UK is the Prouncement of a Divorce with the issuance of a Decree Absolute by a Court of Law in the UK.

If you need more information do get in touch with me at coyan_law@yahoo.co.uk

 

One thing to look out for once you're in the UK... I entered on an EEA Family Permit (based on my marriage to EU citizen). That Permit is good for one year. I am trying to figure out what I need to do to entend it, and read on the Home Office's website that what I need to do is apply for a residency permit, this application can only be submitted by mail, I must send both my and my spouse's passports with the application, and while these applications normally take three weeks they are lately experiencing delays that mean these applications may take up to SIX MONTHS! A real problem if you need to travel often for work, as I do. Just FYI. Good luck.