Dropping off the passports at the High Commission

Fortunately, there are no dramas to report. I set off from Bristol at 9.40 am and arrived on time in Victoria. I took a casual stroll to the High Commission, arrived early, and started queuing at about 1.10 pm by which time I was 3rd in the queue. By around 1.50 pm there were probably around 35 (less than I was expecting) in total waiting. A man came out and separated us into 2 lines; those 'collecting' and those 'dropping off'. At about 1.55 pm he started calling forward the 'collectors' 5 people at a time. As soon as they were finished we (the 'droppers off') were called forward in the same manner. Once inside I met a man at a desk who asked for my File Number, which he then wrote on a check sheet. He then took my Updated Information Chart, passports and photos and put them all in a resealable plastic sleeve along with one of two identical raffle tickets. Finally, he stapled the duplicate ticket to an information sheet which he gave back to me as my receipt. This is what I must bring back with me when I collect my visas. I was done and out of the building at 2.05 pm.

Roll on 2-weeks, when I return and finally get the visas in my mitts :-)

1st anniversary of my Dad passing away

Today is a sad day as it marks the 1st anniversary of my Dad passing away. If anything, the grief I feel now is probably worse than the period after he died. The initial sadness was bad enough, but afterwards I felt almost relieved and liberated. My Dad was a very dominant character and as an only child I'd always felt the pressure to attain his approval; after he'd gone that pressure eased and I briefly felt a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Today that feeling has passed and I now miss not being able to ask for his advice and ironically to run things by him to see if he approves; to coin a military term, my 'top cover' has gone. I guess this feeling will pass with time but rather than getting easier, today I find looking at his photos harder than ever, the sense of sadness brings a tear to my eye more so than ever before.



I miss my Dad and I wonder if life will ever feel right without him......

The offical 'Passport Request (PPR)' email has arrived

Sure enough, true to their word, the official email from CHC arrived today (aka the ‘PPR’) requesting that we send in our passports to have our Permanent Residency (PR) visas inserted. I must confess that it’s been difficult to get too excited over the weekend; there was still a sense of reticence not to count our chickens until we saw something in writing. Thankfully we can now celebrate and breathe a full sigh of relief.

It’s my intention to drop the passports off by hand at the High Commission. This is a guaranteed 2-week turnaround and will mean that I’ll have my visa when I go off to CFRC for my CF enrolment trip. It’s perfect timing as I’ll now be able to prove to the CF that I’ve met the prerequisite ‘must be a permanent resident’ check and there’s nothing legally stopping me from enrolling.

Our visa photos are booked for Saturday with Martin Chivers Photography, Bath - a bit pricey at £100 (well there are 6 of us I suppose) but I want to guarantee that they’re exactly right in order to avoid an unnecessary delays. My transport to the High Commission is booked too, courtesy of National Express and their 50% discount for Armed Forces members. At £10.20 return it’s by far the cheapest way to get there from Bristol and it’s only a 20 minute walk from Victoria Coach Station.

After 469 days, TB tests, Asperger's Syndrome and a ‘Procedural Fairness Letter/Plan'…….CHC called today....

It's been a painfully slow 2-months since we sent in our response to CHCs 'Procedural Fairness' letter and having badgered them with no less than 3 case-specific emails (to no avail), we were beginning to lose heart.

So, imagine my surprise when my wife phoned me at work today in tears, to say that the lady from CHC had just rang and said we've been accepted and that an official email will be arriving in the next 2-3 days.

Whether they decided that Amber was no longer going to be an 'excessive demand' or whether they just accepted the plan I submitted, I guess we'll never know. We're just so relieved that the wait and stress are finally over and we can now seriously plan for our new life in Canada.

If I had to offer one piece of advice which has stood me well I would echo the words of the great Benjamin Franklin; 'By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.' Never truer words when it comes to the immigration journey.