Hi everyone! Here is my situation… I am a naturalized US citizen, but I still maintain an EU passport. As such, I have the right to work/ study in Europe. My husband however is a greencard holder and Colombian citizen. I know that in the US, if one holds a work visa, there is no “spousal” work permit. Also, even as the pouse of a citizen, he was not able to legally work here until we completed the requisite paperwork and had the greencard in hand. Does anyone know how it works in the EU? If I were to study or work in the EU would my husband have the right to work? I know that for him to seek an EU passport we would have to move to my home country and maintain residence for min 2 yrs before he would be eligible for citizenship (that is not something we’d consider). I’ve noticed the diversity on the board and figured someone might be able to help me find an answer. BTW- if anyone has any US immigration questions- feel free to ask.
Where is your EU passport from? If it’s from one of the original/old members (Western Europe for lack of a better term), he may be able to obtain a work permit easily although since this would not be your home country, it maybe a bit more complicated. If your passport is from one of the new members from the ex-socialist block, there are a lot of limitations even for citizens of the new members which vary by country. For instance France and Holland may impose work limitations for another 2 years while Denmark welcomes everyone immediately (I am just using these as an example, not sure if this is the case). Therefore, your husband getting a permit maybe a lot more difficult. Your best bet would be to check with the consulate of the country where you are planning to relocate. Regards,
Thanks for the info. I have Polish citizenship and am considering the possibility of completing an MBA in France/ Italy/ Spain. Spain is the front runner considering the ease of transition language-wise for my husband. I will have to investigate the work visa policies in these states; hopefully they are less limited than in the US!
Hasn’t EU come up with a greencard like scheme called Blue Card: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7057575.stm