"Should I Stay or Should I Go" - Clash, 1982: Update #4

I've made a big step forward in my quest for UK settlement today -- I managed to book an appointment for the morning of the 13th of December, in Birmingham, to deliver my application (and all of the attachments) for Indefinite Leave to Remain! That's 9 days prior to the expiry of my work permit, and I'm just delighted to have gotten an appointment during that week at the nearest "Public Enquiry Office" to our house!

John and I saw my immigration solicitor in Oxford last week, and she's gone through all of my paperwork to make sure it's all in order. Everything is ready, apart from passport photos (which I'll have taken tomorrow or Wednesday) and the last of the bank statements (which will arrive in the mail in early December). I'm so glad to have her help.

Of course there's no guarantee that I'll actually get my Indefinite Leave to Remain on the day even though I'll deliver the paperwork in person. But at least there's a good chance I can. We'll see.

And we learned something interesting from the solicitor last week. Because I'm married to a British citizen, once my Indefinite Leave to Remain has been issued, I can immediately turn around and apply for British citizenship! We were very surprised -- we thought I would have to wait another year before considering becoming a "dual". It's an exciting prospect, and I think I'll start that project sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, here's what else is going on with John and me...

1. It looks like John is going to have to have surgery on his neck, to fix the herniated disc. That's not great news...but what is good news is that the surgeons in Oxford are said to be among the best in the UK, and they feel they have a good chance of fixing his problem. I sure hope so. He's in a lot of pain. We're hoping he can get it scheduled some time during the holidays, so that I'm sure to be home. I know he's dreading this -- and so am I -- but he just can't go on like this.

2. And my end-of-the-year travel continues. I'm off to Paris Thursday morning for a one-day course there on Friday. I get back late Friday night. Then Monday morning, I fly out to Rome to spend the balance of next week teaching there for 4 days, getting back Friday night. And two days later, I head off for one day's teaching in London on Monday the 10th. I'm tired already, just thinking about what's coming up. But then that will be it for the year.

So that's it for now. You know almost as much about what's going on at our house as we do!

Janet