THEY GRANDFATHERED MY BUNCH!
I can hardly believe it. I didn't expect it at all. It's almost as if one of the immigration nazis has a heart. That can't be right. There must be some other motive for this that I can't yet see. I don't much care, I'm walking on air right now, such a great weight has been lifted. Not on cloud nine - that one gets saved for actually getting permission to stay - but hopefully headed that way.
What am I on about? Today they announced the changes to the immigration rules that affect me (the family route). The summary is here, and the details are here, but the pertinent details are:
* a new minimum income threshold of £18,600 for sponsoring a spouse;
* publishing, in casework guidance, a list of factors associated with genuine and non-genuine relationships, to help UK Border Agency caseworkers to focus on these issues;
* extending the minimum probationary period for settlement for spouses from two years to five years, to test the genuineness of the relationship;
The first one is fine; Chris's salary is in excess of that, so it's a non-issue for us. Back when we saw they were considering a minimum income, we discussed it, and decided that we're actually in favor of it (given that it's a sane number, which it is: median income countrywide is £26,000), instead of something to be arbitrarily decided - differently - by each immigration officer. Having a clear amount is much preferable to trying to read the faceless beaureacrat's mind to see if you'll pass muster based on their mood that day.
The second one I'm in favor of; reading through the details it's still leaving a lot of fuzziness for the IO to make their own decision, but it's good to have a more level playing field for the applicants, and less mind-reading for us to have to do.
The third one's the biggy, the one I was afraid of. They were talking about bringing that in, so it's not a shock, but I didn't know what to expect for me - if they did this before my application, would I have to fill out some transitory application instead? What would I need to do to be allowed to stay for those remaining 3 years?
Hallelujah, they grandfathered us in. Anyone already in the pipeline before 9 July 2012 will carry on under the old rules. Even if I couldn't do my next application until after 9 July - even if I'd just now been granted permission to come over to arrange our wedding and get hitched - I'd be fine, I'd only have to do the 2 probation years, rather than the 5. So - hallelujah - I get to carry on with my application as I have been!
I don't have to switch now to a different application, I don't have to get everyone to rewrite their letters with some new phrase for what I'm applying for, I don't have to collect a whole different bunch of supporting documentation, and most of all, I don't have to have this probation hanging over my head for another three years! Hallelujah!
What a relief!
What am I on about? Today they announced the changes to the immigration rules that affect me (the family route). The summary is here, and the details are here, but the pertinent details are:
* a new minimum income threshold of £18,600 for sponsoring a spouse;
* publishing, in casework guidance, a list of factors associated with genuine and non-genuine relationships, to help UK Border Agency caseworkers to focus on these issues;
* extending the minimum probationary period for settlement for spouses from two years to five years, to test the genuineness of the relationship;
The first one is fine; Chris's salary is in excess of that, so it's a non-issue for us. Back when we saw they were considering a minimum income, we discussed it, and decided that we're actually in favor of it (given that it's a sane number, which it is: median income countrywide is £26,000), instead of something to be arbitrarily decided - differently - by each immigration officer. Having a clear amount is much preferable to trying to read the faceless beaureacrat's mind to see if you'll pass muster based on their mood that day.
The second one I'm in favor of; reading through the details it's still leaving a lot of fuzziness for the IO to make their own decision, but it's good to have a more level playing field for the applicants, and less mind-reading for us to have to do.
The third one's the biggy, the one I was afraid of. They were talking about bringing that in, so it's not a shock, but I didn't know what to expect for me - if they did this before my application, would I have to fill out some transitory application instead? What would I need to do to be allowed to stay for those remaining 3 years?
Hallelujah, they grandfathered us in. Anyone already in the pipeline before 9 July 2012 will carry on under the old rules. Even if I couldn't do my next application until after 9 July - even if I'd just now been granted permission to come over to arrange our wedding and get hitched - I'd be fine, I'd only have to do the 2 probation years, rather than the 5. So - hallelujah - I get to carry on with my application as I have been!
I don't have to switch now to a different application, I don't have to get everyone to rewrite their letters with some new phrase for what I'm applying for, I don't have to collect a whole different bunch of supporting documentation, and most of all, I don't have to have this probation hanging over my head for another three years! Hallelujah!
What a relief!