Thumped's "non-nationals" thread (3 Viewers)

[rettucs]

I'm in for another two years.

FFS

 

[therealjohnny]

I'm in for another two years. I ran out of the office once they handed me back my passport on the off chance the 'trainee' who handle my case realized some mistake.

does..does this mean the wedding is off?!!

 

[Catwoman]

FFS

I'm here for ever. Thanks, Cavan man!

 

[rettucs]

I'm here for ever. Thanks, Cavan man!

I'm away to Birmingham....to get my own back.

 

[Moods For Mallards]

I'm in for another two years. I ran out of the office once they handed me back my passport on the off chance the 'trainee' who handle my case realized some mistake.

You consider us a soft touch.

 

[photon]

YAY! You must be so ridiculously relieved.

Yeah, great news.

I felt the same way after I got my 5-year stamp. I was like, "I'd better go before they change their minds or something." It's so discomfiting being in there. They're a hell of a lot better than they used to be, but I think it's that discomfort of powerlessness in the face of bureaucracy that everyone experiences, but multiplied by a thousand because they could totally turn around and just say, "Nope."

It's made worse by the fact that your dealings with them are largely dependent on what sort of day the person on the other side of the glass is having. It's that ambiguity I find particularly unnerving.

To provide a bit of contrast: when I was living in France, the residency bureaucracy was unbelievable -- worse than here in some ways -- but at least, if you knew the written laws, you'd know what to expect when you went in, regardless of who you were dealing with. The French civil servants are real sticklers for rules. Here, it seems much more of a make-it-up-as-you-go-along attitude.

Mind, this can work both ways. I went through some real residency/work permit shit in 2003 and almost got kicked out of Ireland, but managed to stay in because a few kind souls in the GNIB bent the rules slightly in my favour.

Anyway, good that Hayworth came up on the right side of things. Congratulations.

 

[Catwoman]

I'm away to Birmingham....to get my own back.

Stay out of our pubs.

 

[Jill Hives]

does..does this mean the wedding is off?!!

Yep, you're safe for now.

 

[therealjohnny]

oh

oh thats...ok

 

[Lili Marlene]

powerlessness in the face of bureaucracy that everyone experiences, but multiplied by a thousand because they could totally turn around and just say, "Nope."

I do this every day.
Today I told someone they couldn't have six thousand pounds for another six months and as a result they're probably gonna get their legs broken





or so they said

 

[the strange guy]

Today I told someone they couldn't have six thousand pounds for another six months and as a result they're probably gonna get their legs broken

Now that's power.

 

[Lili Marlene]

I wish I was dead

 

[the strange guy]

It could be worse.
He might hunt you down and break your legs in retaliation.

But there's always a bright side.
His legs are already broken, so when you see an angry guy trying to heave his weight across the road with two unsteady crutches towards you - simply walk briskly away.

 

[ernesto]

It could be worse.
He might hunt you down and break your legs in retaliation.

But there's always a bright side.
His legs are already broken, so when you see an angry guy trying to heave his weight across the road with two unsteady crutches towards you - simply walk briskly away.

 

[Goff]

I do this every day.
Today I told someone they couldn't have six thousand pounds for another six months and as a result they're probably gonna get their legs broken


or so they said

So you do your boss's work?

A lot to learn.

There's a reason why they have pay scales. And grades.

And they may have been telling the truth. MAYbe*.




* I also remember the day someone made that assumption. Oh, what laughs we have to this day.

 

[jane]

It's made worse by the fact that your dealings with them are largely dependent on what sort of day the person on the other side of the glass is having. It's that ambiguity I find particularly unnerving.

To provide a bit of contrast: when I was living in France, the residency bureaucracy was unbelievable -- worse than here in some ways -- but at least, if you knew the written laws, you'd know what to expect when you went in, regardless of who you were dealing with. The French civil servants are real sticklers for rules. Here, it seems much more of a make-it-up-as-you-go-along attitude.

Mind, this can work both ways. I went through some real residency/work permit shit in 2003 and almost got kicked out of Ireland, but managed to stay in because a few kind souls in the GNIB bent the rules slightly in my favour.

Anyway, good that Hayworth came up on the right side of things. Congratulations.

Yeah, that's always been the problem. I once had to go back THREE times, waiting in line for between 11 and 14 hours each time. The first time, I brought what I was told to bring the previous year (this was before there was ANY information available anywhere, and you just had to know), and then I was turned away because the rules changed. When did the rules change? "They change all the time." And why didn't they let anyone know this? "Because it would be easier to lie your way in if you knew what to bring." So basically, she made it sound like she'd been given free reign to make up the rules. More likely she was interpreting very liberally a managerial instruction to 'use discretion'.

I brought absolutely every single document an immigration or government official ever could have wanted and nearly didn't get my stamp because I brought too much and so was clearly not good at following instructions. The wagon behind the window started saying things like, "And I'm surprised at the likes of you. you should understand better, speaking English and all. Not like them fellas." And points to the Chinese dude who was struggling to udnerstand the mile-a-minute talker behind the next window.

She fucked with me for about ten minutes and started making it sound like I was going to be chucked out of the country, and then gives me two weeks to sort it all out. I asked if I could get a list in writing, or if I could have her name or if there was anything that could be done to demonstrate that I was following the instructions I'd been given, in case the rules changed again. "No, we don't do that. You'll just have to take your chances," she said.

I left there and just went outside and cried, out of frustration and rage more than anything else. I wanted to go the fuck home.

The next time I went back, I brought everything again, just in case, and then handed things over as they were asked for. Then I was nervous and I cracked a joke and the guy behind the desk thought I was funny so he gave me my stamp after hardly looking at the documents I'd worked so hard to procure. Not before giving me -- I shit you not -- a lesson in penmanship because he said the 'o' in my name could easily be mistaken for a 'd'. He made me stand there and draw 'o's on a page.

I LOVE THE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM SO MUCH.

By the way, the front desk staff they have now is a totally different batch. I think it used to be the Civil Service equivalent of being sent to Coventry, now it's younger, fresher-faced folks. Last time I was in there, the guy behind the desk was making friends with the foreign in the chair.

The inconsistency is boggling, though. But it did used to be the norm. Now I think some aspects are a bit smoother, just because they have more staff who are a bit less interested in creating sustainable misery at all times.

 

[rettucs]

I do this every day.
Today I told someone they couldn't have six thousand pounds for another six months and as a result they're probably gonna get their legs broken





or so they said

did you find the experience strangely arousing?

 

[Bladez]

I do this every day.
Today I told someone they couldn't have six thousand pounds for another six months and as a result they're probably gonna get their legs broken





or so they said

Was it because he didn't have a credit card attached to his PayPal account?

 

[magicbastarder]

EU overturns Irish residency laws

Irish laws restricting residency rights for non-EU nationals who marry EU citizens were outlawed by European judges today.
Under EU rules all EU citizens can work, study and live in any of the EU countries - and their family members can too, even if they are non-EU nationals. The only requirement is that they must have an entry visa or residency card issued by a member state.
But Irish legislation stipulates that a third-country national who is a family member of an Irish-based EU citizen can only live in Ireland if he or she is already legally resident of another EU country.
Today the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg said setting such a condition was not acceptable and was a wrong interpretation of the EU rules.


http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0725/eu.html

 

[frambosenshmak]

I left there and just went outside and cried, out of frustration and rage more than anything else. I wanted to go the fuck home.

The next time I went back, I brought everything again, just in case, and then handed things over as they were asked for. Then I was nervous and I cracked a joke and the guy behind the desk thought I was funny so he gave me my stamp after hardly looking at the documents I'd worked so hard to procure. Not before giving me -- I shit you not -- a lesson in penmanship because he said the 'o' in my name could easily be mistaken for a 'd'. He made me stand there and draw 'o's on a page.

I LOVE THE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM SO MUCH.

the price you pay for living in someone elses back yard.