become British

30/12/2008. Christmas comes and goes, and I am still waiting for that invitation. But it will come, for sure. God help me.

The things have just become more complicated as my sister-in-law decided to get married in Moscow, Russia, and I need my passport to travel there on 22nd January 2009! Will have to talk to Home Office about that…

Applied on 17 October 2008.
Money (£655) was tendered on 27 October 2008.

People on RuPoint.co.uk say that average processing time lies in reality between 2 and 3 months till approval notification.

I wonder if my Citizenship approval will arrive before or after Christmas?...

We drank lots of Veuve Clicquot afterwards.

Now we can get mortgages on decent conditions, and are basically as good as British in all things but 2: voting and travelling the world on a British passport. We also can recourse to public funds should we want to (NOT! so far)

They forgot about our application and we had to remind twice. At the second time, with red faces, the embarrassed workers called up the next time up, and put the stamps into passports within only 50 minutes instead of 90…

So now screw the immigration forums, no need to know about details of Work Permits, HSMP, promises to get everybody out.

Next year, there’s a great chance to become British!

My wife was also successful in passing the Life in the UK test, so £34 not wasted, but spent for yet another small step towards the Goal.

Now after a few acts of desinformation, I have booked an appointment in Croydon, London, to try & obtain my Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK. This should give us all rights of a citizen bar voting and British passport.

We’ll prepare thoroughfully, to pass first time. Let’s get ‘em… My Work Permit ends on 14/10/2007, so it’s important to get into new status before this happens.

If we manage to get the ILR, only two things will be left: getting the Citizenship itself and getting the British passport. But this comes next year. Meanwhile, we’ll just try to get our best from our life.

I’ve studied a few days and took several mock tests. So now, one half of test is dealt with—I have passed my test this morning. Had to spend £34 only once, which is also good!

Now I will do my best to help my wife to do the same. Her English is weak, but she’s got great pronounciation, and we’ll get there anyway, one way or another.

Yess! :)

Now, Life in the UK test is a precondition not to citizenship, but even to mere ILR. So time to get busy. :)

Official book has been ordered from Amazon.co.uk and has arrived. Something in that book reminds me of children’s books—low percentage of page space used, special adapted language (is my English too good already? :)), good glossy paper.

Now when I finish reading “Eat That Frog”, this will be my next book to read.

My Life in the UK is Changing. Here we go, on that trip to citizenship. All aboard, the train is departing… NOW! :)

The Home Office (again, them) decided to increase fees for visas effective 01/04/2007.

Same day ILR will now cost £950.
Naturalisation – £575.

Also some time ago the “Life in the UK” test is due to be passed before you apply for ILR, not citizenship.

They are doing that “because they can” – temporarily indentured people on their work permits and HSMP will pay however much will be requested, anyway. Actually, so they said – “we don’t want taxpayer to pay for this, so we’ll charge the people who ‘benefit most from our “services”’ (and exactly WTF are these services, bleeding idiots?!)

Die, motherfuckers. And burn in Hell ever after.
When I’ll get my British Citizenship, make no mistake, Labour will get my vote only over my fucking dead body.

Meanwhile, 6 months 2 weeks are left.

... they have recently added a year before Indefinite Leave to Remain, so that now all of us have to wait 5 years, not 4, before becoming permanently resident in Britain. It was less than 6 months for me remaining. Now one year more.

Well… what can I say?
(rant)
Fuck you, Home Office. Fuck, fuckity fuck fuck fuck. Stick your fucking goals up your arse. Hope the Labour Ministers responsible will suffer forever from ingrown pubic hair.
(end of rant)

We shall overcome anyway.
Now – me and my dearest Wife, together. That won’t distract us.

1 year 5 months are left.

Unfortunately this will be an additional step on my way to becoming British. £40 + some time for the useless rubbish test of life knowledge, which puts me on the same board with the African asylum seekers.

This disaster will be introduced since 1 November ‘05. My citizenship application can occur no earlier than October ‘07. So looks like… well yet another nuisance.

Doesn’t change my plans though.

It has also occurred to me that I should really start travelling through Europe without waiting for my Britain-ship (Britanity? :))—receive a visa once, receive a visa another time, then no problem for further visits. Would be a shame to waste two more years of my life because of own inactivity.

A year after I’d get an Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, I could apply for British citizenship and British passport as well. As it’s well known, we Russians need visas to travel… errr…. lemme think… just virtually everywhere. Except Russia of course ;-)

• not only right to vote on the matters of country where you live in;
• not only being on the Electoral Roll—which greatly improves your credit rating since you could be tied to an address;
• but the most important thing - travelling virtually the whole world - and bollocks to all the bloody visas and embassies’ visa sections (to visa fees, too).

:) They say there’s a ceremony where you plead allegiance to the Crown. Well… if the Crown let me live my own life as I always wanted it—why not?