![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
When last we left our gentle readers, our intrepid hero had been the recipient of a mys-TEEEER-ious package! Stay tuned to find out what was in said package! Our story continues...
Waking up at 06:45 this morning, my beloved![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cheshcat and I sleepily made our way to the Royal Mail depot in East Oxford. We arrived shortly after they opened at 07:00. Although less than the recommended forty-eight hours had passed since their delivery attempt, we were determined not to be dissuaded from collecting the mys-TEEEER-ious mail!
A short while later, we had succeeded and were in possession of said package. Ripping it open vigorously, we found it to originate from our most likely suspect: The UK Border Agency. Inside was more documents than you can shake a stick at... and our passports. Eagerly, we scanned the passports to see if they contained a welcome new addition. We were not disappointed. Within their pages, each passport now contains a new visa: One granting the much-coveted "Indefinite Leave to Remain" in the United Kingdom.
That's right, dear friends! My belovedcheshcat and I are now considered "settled", which is just another way of saying that we have achieved the status of permanent residency within the UK. Looks like y'all aren't getting rid of us any time soon!
For those who have been fortunate enough to remain blissfully ignorant of such things, "Indefinite Leave to Remain" is the last step one must achieve before obtaining British citizenship. Additionally, the coalition government has been enacting a tough crackdown on immigration, with skyrocketing applications fees and ever-tightening requirements to enter or remain in this country. These changes are what prompted us to apply for settlement now, as soon as we became eligible, even though our then-current visas were valid until 2013. Best to apply now, whilst we still can, rather than risk getting shut out by the sweeping changes. Looks like our gambit paid off!
This was an excellent way to start the week. I hope that you are all having auspicious beginnings to your weeks as well, my dear friends. At the end of the week, we shall celebrate our ability to stay here by leaving the country. Seems appropriate, yes?
Waking up at 06:45 this morning, my beloved
cheshcat and I sleepily made our way to the Royal Mail depot in East Oxford. We arrived shortly after they opened at 07:00. Although less than the recommended forty-eight hours had passed since their delivery attempt, we were determined not to be dissuaded from collecting the mys-TEEEER-ious mail!A short while later, we had succeeded and were in possession of said package. Ripping it open vigorously, we found it to originate from our most likely suspect: The UK Border Agency. Inside was more documents than you can shake a stick at... and our passports. Eagerly, we scanned the passports to see if they contained a welcome new addition. We were not disappointed. Within their pages, each passport now contains a new visa: One granting the much-coveted "Indefinite Leave to Remain" in the United Kingdom.
That's right, dear friends! My beloved
cheshcat and I are now considered "settled", which is just another way of saying that we have achieved the status of permanent residency within the UK. Looks like y'all aren't getting rid of us any time soon!For those who have been fortunate enough to remain blissfully ignorant of such things, "Indefinite Leave to Remain" is the last step one must achieve before obtaining British citizenship. Additionally, the coalition government has been enacting a tough crackdown on immigration, with skyrocketing applications fees and ever-tightening requirements to enter or remain in this country. These changes are what prompted us to apply for settlement now, as soon as we became eligible, even though our then-current visas were valid until 2013. Best to apply now, whilst we still can, rather than risk getting shut out by the sweeping changes. Looks like our gambit paid off!
This was an excellent way to start the week. I hope that you are all having auspicious beginnings to your weeks as well, my dear friends. At the end of the week, we shall celebrate our ability to stay here by leaving the country. Seems appropriate, yes?
