Changes In Progress

So I'm still getting fuck all from the banks, tried again today with Lloyds using a Specsavers bill. Still a no-go. For the time being, I'm just getting my income put into my husband's bank. That's not recommended by our managers, but it will have to suffice for the time being. So before I can open my own bank account, we will have to get out and find our own place to rent. So far, we have inquired about a nearby home for us. That basically means that within the next month or so, we might be living together without anybody else. We can then get bills in both of our names, where that will help us not only bank-wise, but visa-wise as well. Right now, we do not have much of anything that proves we live together. And that's essential for the next visa. But UNLIKE with opening a bank account, we can use mobile phone bills to prove we live together.

It's incredibly annoying how:

• Banks do not accept official government letters or letters from a GP/dentist/optometrist as proof of address.
• UKVI, however, does accept these things as proof of address and more. 

It's also annoying how banks will accept other bank statements as proof of address. I'm opening my FIRST bank account, how in the hell will I have other banks statements? Ugh. I've already griped about this in the last blog entry, so I won't say anything else about it. But it still irritates me greatly. Oh well. At least we will hopefully get our own place with our own bills. We will be able to stop this Catch 22 AND also get more support for the next visa. 

At least I can be glad that I've got a job now, as well as a potential house to move into. I am just so glad the managers are okay with compromising for this moment. Because otherwise I won't receive my income at all, and otherwise we'd be stuck in the goddamn Catch 22. We are still sort of in it, but we've found a narrow and rocky path around it.

There's the stress of a new job, moving to a new place, and bank shit all in one. I am SO glad I do not have children, because that would just add to the stress. Hooray for being an adult!

 

 

THE BALL STOPPED!!

INCOMING RANT!! May contain swearwords, depending on my thought processes. 

Okay, just when I thought 2018 was starting off on the right foot, the foot misses a step and trips me up. And let me explain why. Do you want to know what my biggest grievance of moving to the UK has been?

• No, it's not culture shock.
• No, it's not occasional homesickness.
• No, it's not the weather.
• No, it's not the strict weapon rules that would put me in jail if I want to defend myself in an attack.
• No, it's not the struggle of deciphering what the hell my shoe size is.
• No, it's not clothes shopping for chunky ol' me. 
• No, it's not feeling out of place.
• No, it's not the fact that I can't get certain foods here.
• No, it's not August 2017. 
• No, it's not me struggling to find a job.
• No, it's not trying to find a house to live.
• NO, IT'S NOT EVEN THE FUCKING VISA PROCESSES. The spouse visa had nothing on this.

All of these things are just minor things, they are fleeting and barely invoke any major emotions out of me. In fact, things like culture shock, homesickness, and weather - I put those because they are normal complaints of expats moving to the UK. The weather doesn't bother me, I like the rain and coolness. I've only been homesick like twice, and it was fleeting. And culture shock wasn't a thing since I've been here twice before - if anything, it was the time difference that had me jet lagged for a week or two.

So what has me in a tizzy, you might ask? Well, I'll tell you. But first, let me address some additional issues this poses.

1. It's a unique case - due to my situation, hardly any expats have dealt with this bullshit.
2. Since it's a unique case, finding answers or advice online is next to impossible. I can't even vent on expat blogs because some of them want money from me. Seriously?

But anyway, enough holding off. What is the issue? OPENING A GODDAMN BANK ACCOUNT.

You might think, how the hell is that difficult? All you need is a job and a few documents then you're set. Well, my darling reader, it's not like that for me. Here's the situation:

1. Can't get a bank account without a job.
1. Okay, no biggee. I'll get a job so that I can open a bank account.
2. Alright, job has been landed.
2. Can't work until a bank account has been opened.
1. Understandable. Let me open one real quick so that I can receive income.
3. Bank account requires proof of address, ID, and letter from employer.
1. That's fine! I'll show the banker my passport, the letter from employer, and the letter I received from the Home Office displaying my National Insurance Number.
2. ...Wait...what? The NiNo letter will not work as a proof of address? Despite it displaying my address?! Despite it being from the OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT?!
4. Bank suggests having the homeowner add my name to her bills.
1. I don't have utility bills in my name, and neither does my husband because we live with his mom.  
2. She can add my name to her bills? Okay, let's try that.
3. That didn't work. She seems to be unable to do that.
5. We don't have bills in our name. There are houses available, sure.
1. Problem is, we can't get a place of our own just solely relying on my husband's income. 
2. We probably won't even be able to rent unless I have a bank account, too.

So in short:

• Can't get a bank account without a job.
• Can't work until bank account is open.
• Can't open bank account without proof of address.
• Can't get proof of address without paying our own bills.
• Can't pay bills because I am not earning income yet.
• Can't earn income yet until I open a bank account.

WHAT THE FUCK!!! It's a fucking Catch 22 that seems inescapable. As of right now, there are two options we have from here:

• Either the bank sucks it up and accepts a letter from my employer confirming my address,

OR,

• I join this eBank website called Monese, which caters to people of my situation. It's £5 a month, but it will accept my income and even give me a MasterCard to use.

At this point, we will try the first option first. If it doesn't work, we might try the second one. I've only officially tried Lloyds, but it seems like the other banks are saying the same thing about proof of address. At this point, I'm not sure how I feel about Lloyds. They've been very inconvenient, their online form was very finicky and stubborn, and we can't even get ahold of customer service on the phone because we're just being put on hold. Nobody online seems to have dealt with this situation before, so quite frankly I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go. I'm almost hoping against hope that someone who's been through this will comment and give me an answer, but who the fuck reads these blog entries? I also hoped that, upon exiting the shower, I had received a text from my employer giving me an answer. But nope. I'm grasping at straws now. Monese wants a picture of my passport, which I'm really unsure about doing that for security reasons. But again, I'm grasping at straws. I'll do PayPal or Apple Pay. I'll even do a fucking third party eBank with a monthly fee like Monese if it means receiving my income. I can't move out of my mother-in-law's place until I'm receiving income, but if I can't even do that because of stubborn banks...well, then...I'm stuck here.

I really am stuck. I'm hoping that in the next few days, this will all be resolved. Because that is what has happened when I've written angsty blog entries before. I write an angsty blog entry, and everything gets resolved within the week. But this is a sticky Catch 22 right now. I'm fully positive I'll end up joining Monese in the long run. Because again, since our situation seems to be unique due to the lack of help online, I don't think I will be able to land a high street bank account. Monese seems credible, but if I join it, I sincerely feel like I may as well be doing my shopping at stores called Besco, ASDO, or Hainsbury's. 

So all-in-all, forget culture shock and homesickness. Forget the struggle of finding a job. Forget even the stresses caused by the spouse visa. This caps them all. Gotta cap 'em all, Catch 22!

Ugh, if I'm making jokes like that, it just shows how hopeless and desperate I feel. 

Adulting sucks.

Okay, rant time over. Time to have a cocktail. Or six. 

Can't even find a relevant meme, gif, or image for this topic. Instead, here's a representation of what my brain is doing.

The Ball is Now Rolling

Happy 2018, everyone! The new year is looking good so far. I've finally landed a job, and I'll be working alongside my husband to boot. Since I've got a job now, I can start saving up and we can FINALLY find a place to rent. It'll be just the two of us, finally. It's nice to be able to work, because I'm finally able to contribute now. Having a job isn't required for the next visa, but it will most certainly look better. And it'll increase our chances of finding a decent place. And having a place of our own is crucial, because the next visa requires a multitude of cohabitation proof. As of right now, there is little proof saying that we live together - as we are receiving little to no mail. I don't have a bank account, we're not paying any bills, and we haven't been to the doctor or dentist. So once we get our own place, we will be able to start receiving bills to prove our cohabitation. That's the biggest concern regarding the FLR right now, since finances can be added up from the both of us this time.

So even though 2018 is showing signs of us starting our own lives, it is all signifying that the next visa is coming up fast. In fact, it'll be almost a year from now when we will have to consider beginning the application process. I'm not as worried this time, since entry clearance is the hardest step. Again, right now, my only concern is getting enough mail gathered up to prove that we live together. But that should be resolved once we get our own place. I'll post updates regarding our housing situation.

It'll be the first time we'll be away from parents' influence. It'll be so refreshing to make our own rules. At this point, I'll pay a monthly CARPET BILL if it means we can finally live on our own.

"If you hold on, life won't change!"