WARNING: long letter about boring immigrations laws follows.
SO.
matthew and i went to a solicitor today - finally found a place that does a 'free consultation' for what we needed.
and it was very useful.
since last tuesday - when i spoke to the Immigration Advice Service (IAS) that supposedly provides free representation to people in my situation.. i've been pretty pessimistic about the whole thing. The IAS basically told me i didn't tick enough boxes (meaning they said i had a less than 50% chance of success with my appeal) and therefore, they wouldn't take my case on.. which seems odd to me, cause, it would seem that, since i DIDn't tick enough boxes then.. i really NEED the help! but such is the way things are.
anyway, toDAY, i found out that things aren't so bad.
i was basically feeling tuesday that i would probably fail and probably had no more options after that. (meaning sent home and lose this new job i've got)
the lawyer i spoke to today, however, has explained that, the reason i'm having such a hard time is because i'm applying from within the UK. i'm 'switching' visas (from student visa to unmarried partner visa). apparently, if i'd flown home and applied from there, it probably would have been accepted already. mmmm which is really interesting, cause i just assumed the exact OPPOSITE of that. BUT this now means that, if this appeal fails, i can fly home, make the application again but from an english embassy in America and it will probably go through! this is the biggest relief. i was sure that i had no more options.. of course, if i have to do this, i may lose my job.. but we'll just have to do this one step at a time.
apparently, i just send off the appeal form, and have the next couple months to gather all this evidence i've been madly trying to find (getting friends and family to write letters attesting to matthew and my's relationship).. so that's nice.. oh, and the lawyer, after looking at everything we were planning to send said he thinks we should succeed. which is great too.. we were kinda expecting to be really let down this morning - told we had no chance.. cause this is kinda what the IAS told me down the phone.
the only down to all this is.. that basically there will be a hearing and we should have legal representation.. but according to the lawyer, after adding up all the costs, it would cost us approximately (so it could be more) £1500 to £1600.. this is about $3000 at the current exchange rate.
so, we can't possibly do that.
but basically, we can represent ourselves.. but the biggest bit of this is preparing a large document for the judge - with all the bits of evidence referenced throughout basically a letter explaining the entire situation - or, as the lawyer put it - 'telling the story of ourselves' starting with our births, then when i moved here, then when we got together, etc.
so.. this sounds basically like another disseration to me.. footnotes and index, content page, stuff like that.
and i've luckily just found a page on the official court of appeals website outlining what goes in this.. of course normally this is always done by a lawyer.. i don't think it will be that easy for us, but we're going to do it..
the only other thing i've been considering is to just go home now, reapply from home and wait there.. but i think we're going to try this appeal thing.
so, yeah.
that's about it i guess.
just in case any of you were wondering, ha.
matthew and i went to a solicitor today - finally found a place that does a 'free consultation' for what we needed.
and it was very useful.
since last tuesday - when i spoke to the Immigration Advice Service (IAS) that supposedly provides free representation to people in my situation.. i've been pretty pessimistic about the whole thing. The IAS basically told me i didn't tick enough boxes (meaning they said i had a less than 50% chance of success with my appeal) and therefore, they wouldn't take my case on.. which seems odd to me, cause, it would seem that, since i DIDn't tick enough boxes then.. i really NEED the help! but such is the way things are.
anyway, toDAY, i found out that things aren't so bad.
i was basically feeling tuesday that i would probably fail and probably had no more options after that. (meaning sent home and lose this new job i've got)
the lawyer i spoke to today, however, has explained that, the reason i'm having such a hard time is because i'm applying from within the UK. i'm 'switching' visas (from student visa to unmarried partner visa). apparently, if i'd flown home and applied from there, it probably would have been accepted already. mmmm which is really interesting, cause i just assumed the exact OPPOSITE of that. BUT this now means that, if this appeal fails, i can fly home, make the application again but from an english embassy in America and it will probably go through! this is the biggest relief. i was sure that i had no more options.. of course, if i have to do this, i may lose my job.. but we'll just have to do this one step at a time.
apparently, i just send off the appeal form, and have the next couple months to gather all this evidence i've been madly trying to find (getting friends and family to write letters attesting to matthew and my's relationship).. so that's nice.. oh, and the lawyer, after looking at everything we were planning to send said he thinks we should succeed. which is great too.. we were kinda expecting to be really let down this morning - told we had no chance.. cause this is kinda what the IAS told me down the phone.
the only down to all this is.. that basically there will be a hearing and we should have legal representation.. but according to the lawyer, after adding up all the costs, it would cost us approximately (so it could be more) £1500 to £1600.. this is about $3000 at the current exchange rate.
so, we can't possibly do that.
but basically, we can represent ourselves.. but the biggest bit of this is preparing a large document for the judge - with all the bits of evidence referenced throughout basically a letter explaining the entire situation - or, as the lawyer put it - 'telling the story of ourselves' starting with our births, then when i moved here, then when we got together, etc.
so.. this sounds basically like another disseration to me.. footnotes and index, content page, stuff like that.
and i've luckily just found a page on the official court of appeals website outlining what goes in this.. of course normally this is always done by a lawyer.. i don't think it will be that easy for us, but we're going to do it..
the only other thing i've been considering is to just go home now, reapply from home and wait there.. but i think we're going to try this appeal thing.
so, yeah.
that's about it i guess.
just in case any of you were wondering, ha.