long day

good looking bloke

 Here we are enjoying a pint along with an entire meal after waiting in line at immigration for 1 hour. We showed up at 6pm, the time Ticket Man told us to.We clocked the GNIB office at about 30 numbers per hour (Oh did I forget to mention that you wait in the line at 7am in the morning in order to receive a ticket...in order to come back for a later appointment...in order to wait in line again...in order to hear you number called...in order to wait in yet another line...before you can receive your ID card? Oh did I fail to mention that?!). Feeling a bit peckish we went off to eat. We were at this restaurant for 1 hour. When we returned to the immigration office and sat back down, we waited another 1.5 hours before our number came up.

good looking lass

 So I didn't expound on the results of my chat with Ticket Man AKA Pea Brain at the Garda National Immigration Bureau yesterday. Now that rage has subsided I can explain. We found out that because I have not successfully found a job yet, in the eyes of the State (the Irish one) I may not have a legit reason to stay. As the spouse of a full-time international student (that's hubby) I am not typically given a free pass to actually be with my husband--a stipulation that is being enforced now when it hasn't been before. Why? Because I'd probably never become a productive member of society, not work a day in my life, begin popping out babies, and happily become a drain on the welfare system. That's why I came here anyway right?--and that's what Pea Brain alluded to during our chat. Thankfully, the resourceful lass that I am, I had read about my options in case the Irish economy continued to tank and I didn't find a job right away.

I knew there was some sort of provision and as I questioned Pea Brain about the requirements he continued to deny there was any way for me to stay. I was standing before him with 60 days left to find a job and he was already telling me to leave the country. It was not only a horrible thing to say, it was also not true. So aside from being lied to (three times) by a Garda agent, I knew there was hope. Thankfully, I went home and scoured the internet for the information I read back in Minnesota and found it here on the Immigrant Council of Ireland's website. On the website they actually refer to my option of staying as a "right". Imagine that, a Garda employee lying to me in order to deny me my rights? Lovely.

Now, assuming the Immigrant Council and the Garda actually discuss the laws they are enforcing together--and we all know what happens when you assume--the spouse of an international student does have the right to remain without a work permit if they can prove they are financially stable. The fun part is the lack of definition for "financially stable". Do we have enough money to stay? Nobody knows. Our fates actually rest in the hands of whichever Guard happens to receive my letter of petition to remain. Please God, let it be anybody besides Pea Brain.

I am putting together a lovely letter and making copies of all the right documents. I hope to have it sent by next week. All the God-fearing folks out there, feel free to offer up prayers. Otherwise, general positive thoughts are accepted. Just send them sort of north-easterly from where you are. In the meantime, the job hunt continues. I have applied to over 50 jobs (!) so it's not for lack of trying. In order to hire me, an organisation (spelt with an S and 'spelt' spelled in a British sort of way) will have to fill out one extra document because I'm a non-national. I've begun to mention that I'll fill it out for them...in case the extra effort has been a deal breaker thus far. If I get a job next week, all of this ordeal will simply disappear. So...in a north-easterly direction ok?