I am UK citizen living and working in Germany for a few years. I am married to a Ukrainian, and we were married in Germany in 2001. We have 2 kids.
When looking into some stuff regarding visas, I see that the UK govt. offers a "EEA Family Permit" visa, specifically aimed at relatives of EEA citizens. I quote the the FAQ entry from ukvisas.gov.uk below.
Is there a German equivalent? We would like our father-in-law to visit us here in Germany, as he has done before. But last time we made an invitation, and he was granted what is essentially a tourist visa, valid for just 90 days. And even that required as to appeal against the initial (and unexplained) refusal, though in fairness the appeal was handled quickly and the visa was granted.
On a similar vein, has anyone else any knowledge of a "Familienhilfe Visum"? Our real concern is that as both adults are now working full time, and myself 50% of the time away from home due to frequent business travel, we would like to ask our children's grandparents to play a bigger part in looking after our children. I think that is pretty natural.
Thanks for any advice!
KM
QUOTE
What is an EEA Family Permit?
An EEA family permit is a document similar to an entry clearance which has been given the name "EEA family permit" to distinguish it from a visa or entry clearance issued under the Immigration Rules. Instead, EEA family permits are issued under EU Regulations. They are issued to family members of EEA nationals where they wish to travel with or join the EEA national in the UK. They are always issued for six months and they are free of charge.
An EEA family permit is a document similar to an entry clearance which has been given the name "EEA family permit" to distinguish it from a visa or entry clearance issued under the Immigration Rules. Instead, EEA family permits are issued under EU Regulations. They are issued to family members of EEA nationals where they wish to travel with or join the EEA national in the UK. They are always issued for six months and they are free of charge.
) On there people come from all over the former USSR and there are topics frequently discussed similar to yours- on how to bring relatives here etc.