Hi :-)

Welcome to Expat.com Maija!

Harmonie.

Hey what part of Belgium

Harmonie wrote:

Welcome to Expat.com Maija!

Harmonie.

thanks :-) nice to meet u

hannahhadman wrote:

Hey what part of Belgium

Actually we dont really know yet. he's originally from Leuven before they moved to Calpe. He said he's planning for us to move in zemst,eppegem,vilvoorde or aalst. Im a bit clueless. He got a restaurant in Spain but its not doing very well so maybe we can try our luck in Belgium but we are a bit worried cause he haven't got a a stable job yet. well he's kind of working right now, helping in fixing his friend's house. 

So i guess we'll be starting from nothing.  Im a nurse here in the Philippines and I havent applied for my visa. The thing is I dont speak Dutch or French. Im kind of hesitant to apply visa cause im worried that I might be a burden for him cause I dont speak any of his language except of English of course. I wonder if its possble for me to be a nurse in Belgium. I understand that i have to be able to speak French or Dutch.

You really need to be fluent in French or Dutch and you also need your qualifications to be recognized which is very very very very difficult here - I know someone who is now fluent in Dutch and it took her 5 years of hard study, she gave up in getting her British qualifications recognized in full (despite a European directive OBLIGING Belgium to recognize them) and instead re-did her qualification in Dutch. So I'm afraid any thoughts of working Belgium as a nurse will take you several years. The UK perhaps, easier to get equivalences of qualifications and English speaking. There are many qualified Filipinos who work instead under the "dienscheques" system where you'll get about €10 an hour and it's cleaning / caring work.

Your visa is a formality ONLY if your husband can prove income, as you have a right to be treated as an EU national "EEA Family Permit" but only if you can support yourselves. So if your husband had income in Belgium, then you'd get a free visa. You would not be allowed to claim any benefits at all, if you did, you break the terms of your residency. I'm assuming you're in a similar position in Spain, on a EEA Family Permit? If that is the case, you can travel to Belgium with that permit at the moment for up to 3 months, so long as you bring your husband!

Is it worth coming to just see what is available before making a decision?

schoolmum wrote:

You really need to be fluent in French or Dutch and you also need your qualifications to be recognized which is very very very very difficult here - I know someone who is now fluent in Dutch and it took her 5 years of hard study, she gave up in getting her British qualifications recognized in full (despite a European directive OBLIGING Belgium to recognize them) and instead re-did her qualification in Dutch. So I'm afraid any thoughts of working Belgium as a nurse will take you several years. The UK perhaps, easier to get equivalences of qualifications and English speaking. There are many qualified Filipinos who work instead under the "dienscheques" system where you'll get about €10 an hour and it's cleaning / caring work.

Your visa is a formality ONLY if your husband can prove income, as you have a right to be treated as an EU national "EEA Family Permit" but only if you can support yourselves. So if your husband had income in Belgium, then you'd get a free visa. You would not be allowed to claim any benefits at all, if you did, you break the terms of your residency. I'm assuming you're in a similar position in Spain, on a EEA Family Permit? If that is the case, you can travel to Belgium with that permit at the moment for up to 3 months, so long as you bring your husband!

Is it worth coming to just see what is available before making a decision?

Thanks so much for Informing me. I really appreciate it 
I'll tell him bout this. I think it will take ages for me to be fluent in Dutch or French. So i guess i'll just give up my career, it's kind of a bummer. Oh well that's life, I'll just try to be more positive. I heard that there's a chance in the UK but I don't think my husband will agree on it.

I reckon he should be stable enough for me to be granted with reunification visa. He does have an income but that's from his restaurant in Spain, Im not sure if the embassy of Belgium will take that matter under consideration.

Our situation is a bit complicated In my opinion:(

The requirements for Spain is a bit easier. I almost have all the documents. I only need to have a petition letter coming from him and he's obliged to register our marriage in Leuven where he was born. Luckily he's in Belgium already. Probably he'll be able to do it by tomorrow (I hope so).

I know of a Filipina + 2 teenagers who is living in Zaventem, I don't know her personally, that's in the general area where your husband is looking to move, could get her phone number actually. There are plenty of Filipinos here and I'm sure you'd get to know them all! If you're legally in Schengen right now, there is nothing to stop you just turning up in Belgium and once you've decided where to live, then you just walk into the town hall (gemeentehuis) and apply to stay under the EU directive for EU family members. There would be a delay of a few months (they check you're not claiming benefits whilst waiting) and eventually you should get a 5 year residence card marked "F-karte" for EU family member. That gives you the right to apply for jobs without the need for a work permit and you can travel around Schengen without hubby, and to the UK and Ireland with hubby on a free-issue visa, so long as hubby is with you or already there.

schoolmum wrote:

I know of a Filipina + 2 teenagers who is living in Zaventem, I don't know her personally, that's in the general area where your husband is looking to move, could get her phone number actually. There are plenty of Filipinos here and I'm sure you'd get to know them all! If you're legally in Schengen right now, there is nothing to stop you just turning up in Belgium and once you've decided where to live, then you just walk into the town hall (gemeentehuis) and apply to stay under the EU directive for EU family members. There would be a delay of a few months (they check you're not claiming benefits whilst waiting) and eventually you should get a 5 year residence card marked "F-karte" for EU family member. That gives you the right to apply for jobs without the need for a work permit and you can travel around Schengen without hubby, and to the UK and Ireland with hubby on a free-issue visa, so long as hubby is with you or already there.

That's very nice of you. :-) Thanks for giving me information.   My husband said that our marriage contract was sent to the Philippine embassy to check if its genuine. He said it would probably take days before we register our marriage.