Home Sweet Home

So what has Christine been busy doing lately? Well here is your answer. My Life in the UK Test is scheduled for this Saturday January 31st at 1:30pm. I am SO very frightened.

Only 4% of American fail this test, I have a feeling I will be a part of that percentage.

There are just so many little things that I know they are going ask and I can't seem to keep all of the numbers straight in my head. 84%, two-thirds, one half, three quarters, etc... *ugh*

Some of you that know a little about the Immigration process may be asking why I am taking the test so soon after arriving in the UK, well here are the reasons.

I am currently here on a Spousal Visa that will expire in December 2010. Normally somebody that is here on this type of Visa must wait a full two years after arriving to go for the next Visa which is called Indefinite Leave to Remain. In those two years you are required to keep bills, letters, bank statements, etc.. showing that you and your spouse have been living together in a marriage.

Since Andy and I have been married for over four years (in fact over eight) we 'proved' our relationship while in the US when I applied for my Spousal Visa. So my Visa has a special notation on it which means all I need to do in order to go for the Indefinite Leave to Remain is to take and pass The Life in the UK test and I can then immediately apply rather then having to wait the normal two years.

Why go ahead now? Well...

Fees are normally raised in April of every year and seeing as how the price is already £750 ($1071) for postal applications and £950 ($1357) for in person applications there is no way I want to have to spend even more money on this. Oh and we do plan on doing an in person application because I want to get this over with and do not fancy sending my Passport into the Home Office and wait the nearly 14-16 weeks to find out if I have been approved.

Also right now there is quite a bit of immigration chit chat going on that there are a lot of changes in the works and one of those changes is that they may be doing away with the Indefinite Leave Visa and I want to make sure to get it now since I qualify so that any changes later will not apply to me as I will already have it and hopefully any changes to the next step of Citizenship I can be grandfathered in.

So... long boring post but this is what I have been trying to study for and hopefully I pass on the first go. It is something like £34 for the test and if I fail it just means I have to try again later and it will be yet another £34 each time. *ugh*

Everybody, please wish me luck and be thinking of me at 1:30pm GMT on Saturday!

I need to get a handle on the above situation.

There is just too much coinage in this country, lets count it out together:
1 pence, 2 pence, 5 pence, 10 pence, 20 pence, 50 pence, 1 pound & 2 pound

Seriously.

It's not that it is going to be terribly hard to get used to the new money but when I am in line and there are people behind me.. I feel all eyes are on me as I try to count out the change so I end up just grabbing a 5 or 10 pound note to pay where of course in turn I get change back. *ugh*

All of the above change is currently in my wallet and this was after I used four pound coins and four 10 pence coins!

We did go to the movies/pictures/cinema (your pick) tonight and it was a lot of fun if not an adventure. : ) We got bus #1 from Westhoughton to the main Bolton bus station and then bus #2 from the main Bolton bus station to the movie theatre. When we were on bus #2 we stood up when we wanted to get off and the bus driver asked where we were going. We told him Cineworld and he told us to have a seat that there was a closer stop he could drop us... so... we sat and he drove and drove and drove... finally Andy stood back up and here is what was said:

Bus Driver: Oh Shit yeah the stop was back there, sit down and I'll take you back.

Andy: That's okay we can get off here and walk.

Bus Driver: No seriously, sit down mate. What time is your movie?

Andy: 4:00pm

Bus Driver: No worries I'll get you there in plenty of time.

So we rode the bus around the entire route and back on ourselves but this time the bus driver did let us know when to get off and we made it to the movie just in time. We sat down in our seats at exactly 4:00pm. Then we sat thru 35 minutes of commercials and previews and the movie itself started promptly at 4:35pm. I will have to remember this for future outings to the theatre.

It was raining when the movie ended but I had thought ahead and had one of my wonderful umbrellas. However I did learn a very important lesson tonight, something that I will not forget...