NEWS FLASH!

Well, it’s been four weeks since I turned in my Green Card application (yes, you heard me right…I just posted last week about turning in my application and now it’s been four weeks since I turned it in...You do the math…) and…it will be two or three more before I get it (assuming they find no problems with the application). I did confirm that they have it in their system and, once they get to it, I should have it in a few days.

Six weeks of sitting in a pile and two days of actual attention…

Makes a tear come to yer eye, don’t it…

One improvement that the DETE have made in regard to giving people a sense of how long things will take is that they are updating (and when I say updating, I mean sometimes, if they get around to it, maybe current, but…maybe not…) the employment permit page of their website with the date turned in for applications they are currently processing, so I can kind of get a sense of how things are going and see how they are progressing (although sometimes they leave the same date up all week...like last week…).

I am looking forward to getting this small (or large – I don’t really know), green (assuming it is actually a green card) card in my hot little hand (figure of speech here – my hands are not really little)…not only because it is a major component for me officially getting to stay in the country, but also because I really want to MOVE ON WITH MY LIFE!

At the moment a good chunk of things are just on hold. I can’t really commit to anything major before I know for sure that everything is going to work and, even if I wanted to, no one would let me anyway. Until I get my Green Card, I can’t get my PPS number (Irish social security number) or ID card. Without a PPS number and a letter from my company saying I am employed (which I can’t get until I can officially be employed) I can’t get a bank account. Without the same letter from my company and the ability to write a check, I can’t start shopping for a place to live. The chicken and egg scenario has been getting repeated more than I’d care to say.

In any case, fortunately, things are moving along and with any luck, in a few more weeks I can move on to worrying about something new…