Received My Further Leave to Remain!

Yeah, as the title says, I got my visa! Well...I got it two days ago on August 10th. I've been busy celebrating. When I saw that I got it, I felt so incredibly happy. I felt the happiest I'd felt...well, since I got the last visa and came here! I almost wish I could replay that day, because of how good and cathartic it felt to open that letter and be relieved of the stressful limbo that I was in. My biometric residence permit arrived in the mail just this morning, and it's good until March 2022. It feels soooooooo good!!! I get to stay here for another 30 months, and when that is over, I can apply for indefinite leave to remain; that means I will be permanently here. No more visas. Citizenship is optional, but it is something we might be going for. Indefinite leave looks pretty pricey, though; over £3000 if you want to do priority, which we are probably going to do since I've heard that standard could take up to 6 months! I could hardly handle 8 weeks of a stressful limbo, so when it gets to that final stage I would want to get it done and over with!! It feels so great to be at home stretch now. It just feels sooooo good. I'm still feeling the bliss even now; in fact, it was refreshed when I got the BRP. Such a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I...know that deep down, even with all of my doubts, I was certain that I would get this. But this summer had been so stressful. I lost some sleep. My husband and I fought a couple of times. There was just a lot of restlessness and anxiety over all. But now, it's been washed away like sand by the ocean.

Looks like I need to start studying for the Life in the UK test now, as I need to have that done by the time I submit the next visa. But I just got done getting this one, I am going to need some time to recover! Hopefully these damn dark circles under my eyes will go away, and hopefully I'll stop breaking out like I'm sixteen years old again.

It just feels so great!!

Just a bunch of Xenoblade pics because why not? I feel too happy to care.

The Dread is Back...

We are back at this stage of uncertainty again. Only this time I feel like it’s worse, despite having my husband here. When I was waiting for spouse visa, I at least had a place to fall back on if it got refused. Now, I risk losing my home and my job, ON TOP of being forcibly separated from my husband. My BRP expires two weeks from today; my work’s head office is eager to remind me via emails. And the thing is, I have no way of proving that I’ll get a grace period. I can’t use Section 3C of The Immigration Act, because that doesn’t explicitly say anything about work.  I don’t have any way in which I can prove to them that I’m okay to keep working. But even if I did, what if the application is refused? My work will get in a lot of trouble. I’m wondering if quitting for the time being will be safer. But I don’t know if I can afford that...

On top of this, I got a call about a month or two ago from my letting agency about my immigration status as well. So, my living situation might become compromised as well. As a result of that, my husband may be forced to move out too. 

So, let’s put this scenario here: in two weeks time, I’ll have lost my job and my house. Not too long after that, I’ll get a letter saying my visa was refused. I’ll be forced to go back to America. 

I feel like my life is on the verge of collapse as a result of this. I don’t know what to do. I’m scared of making long term plans for anything, in the event that I get deported. I’ll have to go back to America and I will have lost everything. My home, my job, my husband. I’ll be back to square one. I just...I don’t know what to do. This uncertainty, this dread, this possibility...it really hurts. 

My husband is a lot more positive about this. But I worry that if I give an inch of confidence or optimism, I’ll become complacent. I can’t afford to NOT be on my guard. 

I just don’t know what to do. 😖I feel like this is all a bad omen. Should I just get the suitcase out and start packing for home? 😢

The Waiting Game Begins

The biometric appointment was quick and painless, thanks to the fact that I was able to upload them beforehand. The only complaints about that day were that I didn't know where it was and I ended up misdirecting my husband and I. I ended up walking 7.5 miles and getting sunburnt. I got heat exhausted and sunburnt. My appointment was at the Sopra Steria building near Birmingham International. It's been almost a week since that appointment now, and the only thing I need to do is wait for a response. Naturally, I'm dreading the possibility of it getting refused. I'm scared to make long term plans and bookings for the future, in case it does get refused. At the same time, though, I can't help but also feel confident that it will be accepted. I'm at the same half-and-half limbo that I was in last time. It isn't fun. My adrenaline oftentimes kick in randomly whenever I think about it; if I accidentally wake up at 7am and this happens, I struggle going back to sleep. My husband's incredibly confident it'll be accepted. I just wish I had that kind of positivity.

I may just finish the entry here because thinking about it makes me anxious and restless. It's oftentimes a struggle to relax, because my wandering mind will start thinking about it. I need to keep my mind constantly engaged in other things.


Also Happy Independence Day to my American readers!

Visa Season Begins

So, a couple of days ago, we submitted and paid for our application. We've booked our biometrics appointment for the 28th of this month, and it'll be in Birmingham. We have until that time to upload all of our documents. So, for this visa, we'd spent £2,187 for our visa this time around.

• £1,052 for the application + biometrics
• £1,000 for the IHS surcharge
• £100 for an appointment. (the soonest free one was too close to expiry for comfort)
• £35 for the document checker. (This allows us to upload our documents from home)

So, yeah. Bye-bye, money. We're going to try and submit the documents this weekend. But now that we've put our name out there regarding this, I now feel this unwavering sense of uncertainty and anxiety. It's hard for me to relax now, and I catch myself with a rapid heart rate at times. Once again, just like last time, I can't help but think pessimistically. Even though the odds are higher this time around, I still can't help but worry I'll be sent back to the US. I'm living in this fear, and it's so much pressure. And as I post my worries to other platforms online, my situation is getting politicised by others - which is NOT what I need during this time. I think the immigration system here is a bit too strict; it could at least do with a removal, or at least a decrease, in the minimum income requirement. 

During this period of anxiety and uncertainty, I just want support. I don't want to hear about the politics regarding this. I don't want to hear about the US southern border immigration or Brexit. I'm already stressed enough as it is.

Or all of the above.

Please, wish me luck.

One More Month

We're going to be applying for FLR(m) next month. Each day that passes gets a little bit more stressful. It doesn't feel quite as bad as the initial visa, and I DO feel a bit more confident about this one. But that doesn't stop the niggling worries. We've been gathering more documents, mainly from work and our landlords. I'll keep things posted here as more progress is made. I am glad I don't feel as frantic as the first time around. Still, that doesn't mean it's not stressful. I've been breaking out regularly since the year began. Hopefully, this visa goes by smoothly. If it does, the rest of the year will be an absolute breeze.

2019, the Year of the Visa

It's February, now. This means that in the next four to five months, I'll be submitting an application to extend my current visa, known as FLR(m). I'm fairly certain this has a better success rate, but I still can't help but worry about refusal, and then getting deported back to America. I've gone through a lot to get here, and I don't want it getting thrown away. That's why we've been gathering things up a few months earlier. At least this time around, I'll have my husband around as moral support while we're doing all of this. Because this is definitely going to be a stressful first half of the year.

On that note, our counterpart couple LoveMyBrit recently received their FLR(m). So, that keeps me positive. They will undoubtedly 100% not see this, but I would still like to congratulate them for getting the visa. I'm so jealous, yet so happy for them!

I'm not necessarily worried about the documentation we've got. I'm more or less worried we'll get a grumpy immigration officer looking at our documents. I'm worried that this new Sopra Steria system or whatever it is will mess us about. I'm honestly not entirely sure how we'll go about this, to be honest. With the fact that the IHS surcharge has doubled, I'm wondering if it'll be better to just opt out of priority. At the same time, though, priority will give us a decision within the next day. But considering the appointments, I won't know what fees to expect. Their website doesn't explain things very well (not a big surprise - the gov.uk website is like trying to read many legal documents meshed up into one). FLR standard processing times is supposedly only 8 weeks, which isn't bad. Still, I am not sure if I would be able to handle an 8 week wait. We DO have enough for the application itself...we're just saving up for IHS now. At least, for now. The application fees will go up in April. By how much, I don't know yet. So, by the time I'll apply, I'll have to deal with two price increases. Yay. Although as painful as it is, I sort of support the IHS surcharge increase. The NHS is underfunded, I feel. They could use that extra money. Besides, at my current job, I'm not getting income taxed. So, it's only fair for me.

I'm more positive about this visa, especially since refusals are hard to see. I was especially comforted by a comment I saw on an immigration forum. To summarise it, the person basically said that the hardest part (entry clearance) was over. So, by that logic, entry clearance visas are harder to obtain (although that's obvious). Still, I just HAVE to be pessimistic. UGH.


I'm still pretty nervous about it. And stressed. Breaking out ALREADY. It's mainly the system, the finances, and the decision maker that I'm worried about. Well, I suppose I found a bit more comfort when I did some digging the other day. It was sort of like immigration officer guide notes. There was a section of it that mentioned flexibility. Like if for instance, the applicant sends a document in the wrong format, it doesn't automatically equal a refusal. That was a bit reassuring to me. Because since the immigration officers work under a government regime, I assumed their guidelines were to dot all i's and cross all t's. No flexibility or leeway whatsoever. It's nice to know that they will overlook some minor flaws in the application process.


Despite knowing all of this, and despite getting comfort from my husband, I'm still worried! Augh! I long for the day in which this visa stuff is over with. After that, the two of us can finally travel and go on our sodding honeymoon. Several years later, but hey.


In other news, we are trying to get some compensation after the mugging that my husband endured in 2017. Just the fact that he lost a tooth might be able to get us £1,000. But we'll have to see. No matter what the case, I can tell that the first half of this year will be rather financially draining.


Yay.