Hi Reeny

Yes, I sometimes have the same feeling. Sometimes it takes a lot of reading and conjecturing to come up with a good solution.

I found the European law actually quite helpful. It is civil law, not common law, which makes it easier to read, and it actually defines rights for the immigrants, not just rules.

That being said, I also found the German caseworkers to be rather helpful. I know that asylum cases can take a while, but otherwise they are rather fast. My case was sorted within a week or two. I am sure there are other countries like it, but the bureaucracy in Britain or Ireland is certainly not as nice to deal with.

 

It aint that bad ...
at least you know where you stand....most of the time...

 

British law seemed quite logical to me, and the bureaucracy is not a problem. The problem often lies with individual bureaucrats. Don't be afraid to make a complaint to the chief pen-pilot at the Embassy if your application is refused for a reason you consider to be illogical, and don't be afraid to make the complaint quite robust. Just don't swear.

 

Well, I can't vouch for every case worker, but in my view you should rather blame the system than the individual. And there are many things wrong with the BIA.

* Having it all centralised. They know neither my neighborhood nor my employer in Croydon.
* Taking months for straight forward applications. The work doesn't get less if you don't do it...
* Trying to keep your passport for the whole time.
* The idea of "going back home to apply" seems pointless.
* ID cards? What a joke...

Of course this judgment is always relative, but I wouldn't give the BIA any particularly good grades.

 

Triple H

In the 90`s Home Office had a major problems.Passports went missing(they even found documents and passports in rubbish bins in Croydon if I can recall it),new computer system got finally instaled,it was a bad start,but now I think they have an idea what is going on.
No system is perfect:red tape,untrained staff,human errors....
All this said I still think the UK immigration is fair and up to the job.

 

I'll clarify: to date I've only ever had dealings with the Foreign Office, and a very helpful young lady in the Shanghai Consulate whose name sadly escapes me. Our trials with the Home Office won't begin until next year, when we have to do the whole "Indefinite Leave to Remain" thing. That I do dread, so I'm spending time now to find out what we need and start assembling the file...

 

Kaitain,you are nearly there,nothing to worry about

 

Hi Reeny,

I've definitely felt the same way at times. It seemed like each step we wanted to take, we found something blocking our way, whether it was trying to find a country to get married in (New York State ended up being our easiest and least expensive option), or the fact that our landlord decided to sell the flat less than two weeks before I needed to apply for my EEA Family Permit. My mother has a good perspective. She says that if all of this paperwork and visa junk is the biggest hurdle we'll ever have in our relationship, that we should consider ourselves lucky. Right now, my application is being processed, and I hope to have my permit in the next couple of weeks. Every time you hit one of those brick walls, just take a deep breath, look at the person next to you, and figure out a way around it. You'll get there eventually!