Wow--nearly done!

[jawnbc]

What a week! But it’s all good.

Max’s final security clearance (”Certificate of Good Conduct”; how Calvinist) arrived from Amsterdam yesterday. And since for me every Friday is Work @ Home Friday™, I decided I’d pop that puppy into the Canuck Consulate myself. As I was meandering through Sydney traffic (on my 125cc of raw power Peugeot scooter), I thought “maudit! I should have brought the receipt in case they didn’t get it from Mississauga.”

Turns out I should’ve brought something else....

“I’d like to submit my partner’s final security cllearance.” (hands clearance attached to cover letter with “B” file number)

“OK.....it’s in Dutch, you need to get it translated.” (attempts to give back)

“The translation is on the bottom, in italics.” (keeps hand behind back)

“Oh, right. That’s fine. Do you have partner’s passport?”

“With me? No....why?”

“Well drop it off and we should have it ready for pick up in a week.”

“You mean....that’s it?”

“Yup. Bring it by some morning before 12 so we can walk it down to the visa officer.”

“OK. Thanks.”

I walked away, panicked, SMS’d Max (though I knew he was in a meeting). I figured, “darned if I’m gonna wait another week” and booted it on home. It took about 10 minutes, but I finally found Max’s Australian passport (strangely I found both his expired and current British passports in about 2 minute, which were of no use), got back on the bike, and was back at the Consulate in about 45 minutes.

“OK, we’ll ring you and he should come in and pick up the passport himself when it’s ready.”

“We can do that! Thanks so very much!”

So we’re pretty much done. Here’s our timeline so far:

01 March sponsorship app received in Ontario
18 March sponsorship app processing started
19 April sponsorship approved/letter sent
26 April application processing started @ Sydney Australia Consulate
10 June Passport request

That would make less than 2 months for local processing, which I think is pretty snappy.

A very special shout out of thanks to rollerbabe for making this all so much easier. Dank u wel!!!!!

Comments

[garpu.livejournal.com]

Wow, congrats! I take it you're covered as a spouse? the Frood and I have been wondering about moving somewhere else once I'm done. (And I've heard it's tons easier to get residency in the EU or elsewhere if you've got an advanced graduate degree.)

[jawnbc]

Thanks!

I'm already Canadian (ok, Canadian, American and Irish citizenships), which is why Max's took a relatively short time (family class).

The educmacation certainly helps under any "points" system, but so too does having a grandparent from Europe--which is how I got my Irish citizenship.

You're in Seattle, eh? Seattle's pretty great....

[garpu.livejournal.com]

Hrm. Our grandparents have been here for generations. Seattle's great, and so's Boston, but aside from the blue states, a librul academic doesn't have much of a chance.

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's impressive turnaround of the sort not seen anywhere in the Commonwealth; it's the Raj, after all, that invented red tape. My Irish passport took me 2.5 YEARS, ducks all in row, papers all notarized, etc.

[jawnbc]

We're Canada, we're Commwealthesque with respect to tea and international air routes, but increasingly pragmatic when it comes to administration. What's not to love?

My Irish passport took about 15 months for the first one; I'm hopeful the renewal won't take as long...but apparently to get a machine readable one requires your papers to be sent back to Baile Átha Cliath. Bullshite, feicin bullshite...

How's the stone business? You doing awright?

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

Ah, the Blarney Stone. The procedure is this Thursday at Long Island Jewish. I'm to sit in a jacuzzi while they blast my kidney with soundwaves in an effort to turn the stone into powder, or at least smaller stones, so that I can pass it. boichick is coming along as my "responsible adult" so as to clear the hospital of an liability should they let me out too soon before the anesthesia clears.

Whee!

[jawnbc]

Fingers crossed for you. If you pass by neonatal intensive care, yell "Nurse Egan, I know ya brutha-in-lawwww da cocksucka!"

[danbearnyc.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. This is truly scary. My sister is a neo-natal intensive care nurse too.

[b12x12.livejournal.com]

Congrats! Our's only took a year from submitting our application to approval, and neither of us are Canadian.

[jawnbc]

All in all, I think the Canadian immigration system is rather transparent and moves reasonably efficiently if one submits things correctly and in a timely manner.

Yay! And thanks!

[rollerbabe.livejournal.com]

No problem. You're more than welcome!!!

And congrats!!!

[jawnbc]

Oohhh, sorry. Bike as in scooter. We live in East Redfern, so about 5km I would guess.

[jawnbc]

16 August!

[zurcherart.livejournal.com]

woot woot.

Or something like that. Yay you!!

Does he get a Canadian passport now, or just a residence permit. Sorry I didn't follow that part. Sorry. I might just be capricious, but I'm also delicious.

[zurcherart.livejournal.com]

Oh wait the passport part is pretty clear. I'm just trying to read all your goodness in my lunch break before I head back upstairs for this class I'm taking today ...

I'm still delicious, but (just for today) you're #1.

[jawnbc]

Thanks! He gets a resident visa; after 3 years he can become Mr. Canuck.

Enigma's what we share, but I don't care.

[siobhan63.livejournal.com]

Wow. Two months -- that is speedy. Took almost a year for my husband's application -- but that was due to them changing the rules AFTER we'd filed and applying the changes retroactively, so everything was delayed by the sudden need to get RCMP clearance, which took ages. Otherwise it would have taken about 5 months.

[jawnbc]

Well I think being so far from everywhere else makes for a smaller, faster visa office maybe?

But we're pretty frickin' lucky really.

sounds like you did inside...that seems to take longer.

[siobhan63.livejournal.com]

He was inside, but we applied as if he was still in the UK. He was here on a visitors visa that we kept renewing.

[greekcub.livejournal.com]

I am so jelous you have no idea!

Congrats!

[jawnbc]

All in good time young man! And merci!

[austinw04.livejournal.com]

That is EXCELLENT News!

You will be back home with the hubby in a blink of an eye!! I am excited for ya!

[jawnbc]

Thanks Austin!