Paphos Life

Hello,

My husband got his yellow slip on they day of our immigration appointment (MEU1) on Wednesday and we both gave our applications together, but they could not give me my slip on the spot like they did for him. They didn't say why, just that I had to wait for it in the post....does anyone know how long it takes to arrive (she couldn't tell me)? At the moment, without that slip, I am not allowed to go in and out of Cyprus until it arrives. To further complicate things, the immigration officer at the airport never stamped my passport when I arrived, so there is no record of my arrival. The immigration office here could not give me anything that stated that my application is being processed....they said I just have to wait. During our appointment they told me I could be deported because there is no record of my arrival, so they recommend I just stay in Cyprus until my slip arrives. So, if anyone can tell me how long they waited to get their slip in the post (for spouse of EU citizen application MEU2a), it would be greatly appreciated. I can't find this information anywhere....

I am supposed to go to the UK in late April for a baby shower and go home to the States in August (we also move in three weeks), so I am afraid it won't arrive before we move house or that it will take several months to arrive and I won't be able to leave Cyprus for a good while. Immigration were incredibly unhelpful, rude and unsympathetic to the situation. They blamed me for not reminding the airport officer to stamp my passport...I'm well travelled and I have never had to ask passport control to stamp my passport, because that is their job..they always automatically do this...I had 7 suitcases and my dog to get through security and it's never been a problem in the past (no one has ever forgotten to stamp my passport), so I really feel I am not responsible for this. I hadn't even notice it didn't get stamped until my immigration appointment!

Sorry I meant
Did the immigration officer at the airport not scan your passport when you arrived in Cyprus?

Nope, they wouldn't do anything for me. They said there is no record of me entering Cyprus, but they allowed me to make an appointment to apply for residency and told me not to leave Cyprus or I could have some trouble. I must wait for the Meu2a to come through, but they couldn't tell me how long it takes to arrive..

Is the dog registered in your name and if so, was it you who collected it?
If yes, you will have paperwork which came with bringing your dog in.
You should also have proof of your flight tickets and the route you took to reach Cyprus.
The airlines may help you to verify your tickets were used.
Make sure to get your post redirected to your new address as soon as possible.

The dog flew with me, there was no need to collect her. They didn't even check her or her paperwork when we brought her in. It was really odd.

I can access my plane tickets online to show when I arrived, but without the slip I still cannot come and go as I please, since my three-month period has passed (I can only stay here for 3 months at a time). Without any documentation that says my MEU2a is being processed now, it will appear that I have overstayed if I want to travel.

My main question is, does anyone know how long it usually takes to receive the slip in the post. So if anyone has any information specifically regarding the wait time, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Sorry I meant
Did the immigration officer at the airport not scan your passport when you arrived in Cyprus?
They do not stamp anymore and haven't for at least a year or two
This happens to us all now, they can even check if you have a MEU1 etc from their computer screen

Been There, got the Tee Shirt. We were in exactly the same position.
First answer is it takes as long as it takes; we waited a year for my wife's.
My wife went back to her home country and left without any documents apart from the receipt she received from Immigration. To get back in she applied for a tourist visa and re-entered that way.
The elephant in the room is at the end of the month your husband ceases to be an EU citizen which made immigration of non EU spouses so much easier.
You will get posters telling you that everything will be fine after Brexit but it's not their future they're gambling with.
I paid a lawyer to get ours as we couldn't see any progress after numerous visits to Nicosia as it's totally pot luck whether it takes a month or a year.

Jim

Uncle D wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2019 2:07 pm Sorry I meant
Did the immigration officer at the airport not scan your passport when you arrived in Cyprus?
They do not stamp anymore and haven't for at least a year or two
This happens to us all now, they can even check if you have a MEU1 etc from their computer screen

Oh, I actually don't know if they scanned it upon my arrival (I am assuming so), but the two employees working in the immigration office flipped out on me for not having a stamp and blamed me for it. They told me I would have to leave Cyprus and finally let it go after a lot of arguing ensued. I had no idea they didn't even stamp anymore! Ha! They don't even seem to know that in that office...

Jim B wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2019 2:22 pm Been There, got the Tee Shirt. We were in exactly the same position.
First answer is it takes as long as it takes; we waited a year for my wife's.
My wife went back to her home country and left without any documents apart from the receipt she received from Immigration. To get back in she applied for a tourist visa and re-entered that way.
The elephant in the room is at the end of the month your husband ceases to be an EU citizen which made immigration of non EU spouses so much easier.
You will get posters telling you that everything will be fine after Brexit but it's not their future they're gambling with.
I paid a lawyer to get ours as we couldn't see any progress after numerous visits to Nicosia as it's totally pot luck whether it takes a month or a year.

Jim

Luckily, my husband doesn't cease to be an EU citizen at the end of the month, so that won't be an issue. It sounds like another couple in another post got theirs in a little over two months...but I've read cases like yours where people waited for nearly a year. I guess my only choice is to update my address in three weeks at the immigration office and hope that it actually arrives.

I will search for the receipt from the immigration appointment as proof. I hadn't even thought of that! The immigration office said I should NOT leave while my application is processing or I could have some trouble, but if it takes ages to arrive, I can't do that...I need to go home in August. So hopefully that receipt is enough to satisfy immigration at the airport if I travel...I don't want them accusing me of overstaying. Thanks for your help!

Good to hear you don't have the added worry of the effects of Brexit on top of everything else.

As I said it's basically pot luck but when we got the Lawyer involved he got them in about four weeks; it maybe worth using someone like Gwenny to try and push it for you.

Jim

List here for contacts at CRMD in Nicosia.
Scroll down to the MEU2 section.
You’ll need patience when you call them.

http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/crmd/crmd.nsf ... #_Section5

Unfortunately, I tried Gwenny's before...they wouldn't help me since I didn't use them from the start of the immigration process (they said they only help people who use them from the start and they cannot help with just portions of immigration) They didn't let me explain my situation completely and just interrupted me by saying, "we don't even know you and we are already too busy with British expats because of Brexit." The woman I spoke to was rude and hung up after I asked if there was anything they could do for me because they came recommended. Maybe they are just too busy these days...

Loubychew wrote: ↑Sat Mar 09, 2019 10:19 am List here for contacts at CRMD in Nicosia.
Scroll down to the MEU2 section.
You’ll need patience when you call them.

http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/crmd/crmd.nsf ... #_Section5

Thank you for that!

We found (in our case) phoning was a waste of time and were just given the run around. They provide a texting service to inform of progress but after six months or so we gave up on that. The problem in Nicosia Immigration is that it's mobbed by fixers all trying to jump the queue plus all the other nationalities trying to sort their own immigration papers out; it's not just Brits trying to get MU3a forms.
I can pm the lawyers name we used but he's not cheap.

Jim

ashlep wrote: ↑Sun Mar 10, 2019 1:29 pm Unfortunately, I tried Gwenny's before...they wouldn't help me since I didn't use them from the start of the immigration process (they said they only help people who use them from the start and they cannot help with just portions of immigration) They didn't let me explain my situation completely and just interrupted me by saying, "we don't even know you and we are already too busy with British expats because of Brexit." The woman I spoke to was rude and hung up after I asked if there was anything they could do for me because they came recommended. Maybe they are just too busy these days...

I would suggest rather than phone her office, it may be better to visit it in person.
It's much harder to be so rude to people when they're standing directly in front of you

I wouldn't be surprised if after the 30th March that Immigration require British applicants to submit an MU2a which is a totally different ball game to an MU3a. Immigration in Nicosia are a law to themselves.
Jim

Good news! I got my MEU3 slip in exactly two months on the dot. It arrived in the post on the very last day we were moving house! Very lucky we didn't miss that... Thank you all for your responses.

Congrats and thank you for posting the info for others.

Jeanne