Yeah, fair enough mate. It's still not cheap, but I see where you're coming from. And I think you could debate whether the £250 fee for the EOI is justifiable considering there is a subsequent charge of £1200 for the ITA. I mean at EOI level no actual checks are done. Anyway, I think that is beyond the scope of this discussion.
If anyone has gone down this avenue before and knows if the work permit for the partner is granted with the SMC application or if it is handled separately, that would be of great help. Basically I'm asking if there is going to be a delay of a couple of months while they process her application after I'm good to go.
Thanks for all of your help thus far!