We have a very similar problem. In fact my wife's visa has already expired (she's non-EEA national) and we need to go to Maldives in January. There's no way Home Office will process the application, they are experiencing severe delays, we've submitted EEA2 in August this year.

You need to phone them and request passports back, we've received them within a week but they say it might take up to 10 days. They ask you for the reason but it's not a problem to say that you need them for travel.

It will not affect your application.

We have received a letter together with passports which states that we do not need to re-submit them. When they make a decision, they will ask for passport again.

However, if you need to re-enter the UK and your current entry clearance is expired you can apply for EEA family permit in Norway (in your case) or in fact in any EU country. It should be issued on priority basis but that's just Home Office letter.

I'm still investigating whether it is possible to re-enter with CoA and supporting documents.

Anyway, if to get back two weeks before visa expires there are no problems with that. Of course, have your CoA as well.

Good luck!

 

Hi,
I would be grateful if you could update me with what happened with your situation. As I am experiencing the same situation, Non EU husband of the Polish wife and would like to try to travel to Schengen countries with just the certificate of application, How can we requist our passports back from the Home office for travel as I think our application won't be considered very soon. Is applying for an EU family permit to get back to the UK easy from any EU states or we will have to wait severl months as well?
Thanks

 

Hi,

here's what we've got from Home Office by email:

<<<Dear Sir,

Thank you for your enquiry.

Please be advised that your wife will not be allowed entry in to the UK
on her expired FMRS. She will need to apply for EEA Family Permit at the
nearest British Diplomatic Post (the High Commission, Embassy or
Consulate) overseas before she travel back to the UK. British Diplomatic
Post provides a priority service for EEA and their non-EEA family
members.>>>

We have booked an appointment in Paris, Visa Application Centre, next week. We'll apply for EEA Family permit again, which will allow us to travel for 6 months. It's difficult to forecast turnaround time in Paris, so we're staying there for a week, enjoying winter holiday I'll give you an update afterwards.

Oh, and you can request your passports back by calling 0870 606 7766. They say in takes up to 10 working days but we've got ours back within a week. Documents are accompanied with the letter that you don't need to resubmit, they will ask you to send passport again when they process the application.

 

Thanks alot for your reply. Yes I would love to get to know what would happen with your wife to apply for her EEA family permit in Paris. So what supported documents she is going to send as i guess all the needed documents are with the Home office now. Did your wife apply for Schengen visa for France?
Hope you a lovely holiday

 

Luckily we've sorted her EEA family permit in Paris, although not without tension. Staff at Worldbridge services told us that EEA family permits are not issued on a priority basis, ignored Home Office letter and put them into ordinary queue (which was long considering holiday season is coming). We went to embassy directly and they agreed to let us take the documents back directly from them on Friday (submitted on Monday). Usually it seems it takes more than a week to process EEA family permit application and you need to be persistent in every step to really exercise Treaty rights.

Anyway, the supporting documents of our application: both passports, letter from Home Office that EEA2 is being processed, marriage certificate and my registration certificate (EEA1). And she already had multi Schengen visa for year.