It’s gettin’ serious. I just got a letter from the Department of Immigration to let me know that my two-year temporary residence period is nearly up. Now Rodd and I basically have to go through the whole application process again to secure my permanent residency. We have to provide sworn statutory declarations that our relationship is continuing and genuine and then back that up with all the evidence we can (photos, bills, bank statements, joint travel itineraries, wills, everything). Such a hassle. At least I don’t have to do the full medical checkup this time. The only thing that makes it easier is knowing that we’d have just as much difficulty (if not more) getting the Snook into the States. These international love affairs ain’t easy, you know.
6 responses
a quick trip down the aisle would make the whole thing much easier. :o) i’m just sayin’…
I don’t think so… Well, it wouldn’t change much in Australia anyway. You’ll see if/when you try to move here. We’d have to do exactly the same process if we were married. (Our friend Kenya who married his Aussie girlfriend last year is doing the exact same thing.) I almost think they scrutinize you *more* if you get married, since they think that you think it’s a shoo-in. But yeah, iffin we ever up stakes to the US, we’ll probably have to get hitched. That’s part of the reason that we’re living here now… 🙂
Did I just say “iffin”? I’ve been thinking about the Midwest so much lately I think my subconscious has picked up a twang.
thank god gramma vee doesn’t have internet, or she’d see that and be on the phone calling ME to ask if you’re going to get married now or what. dan can verify that when we were home, the first thing she said after “hi hon” was “have you talked to your sister lately?” oh, and i was also asked, AGAIN, if i thought you two were going to get married. i think i say something different every time, just to keep ’em on their toes…
getting married doesn’t make the process easier – Regan and i will have to do the same in about 2 years too. it’s so silly handing in all those receipts and random things – ‘this is the receipt from the time we took the train up the coast’ or ‘this is the icecream we had on our anniversary’.. haha
That’s what I thought, Tracey. At least you’ll have lots of pictures and receipts from the honeymoon! 🙂
Oh, and if anybody wants to help us out, you could send us a Christmas card or letter addressed to the two of us. We can include those in our evidence! Just e-mail me if you don’t know our address… 🙂