In my previous post, I mentioned that I have always trusted in the universe and believed that everything always works out the way it’s meant to and when it’s meant to. I also ended the previous post with the question:
“How are you still in the UK?”
In short, I got married!
Some friends said to me before I left Vancouver that they bet I would get married and never come back, and I honestly never actually thought it was going to happen. But lo and behold, I did get together with Arek a few months into my visa! The timing worked out well – our relationship started early enough into my visa that getting married before my visa ended was doable.
Sometimes, visa restrictions can force us to do things earlier than we anticipate, but if you’re in it for the long haul, that may not necessarily be a bad thing.
After lots of quick researching, planning, and a blessing from the Home Office, we got married in January 2017 in Edinburgh in front of 60 guests who came from all around the world. Our hearts were so full.
After that, I applied for a UK Residence Card – my next visa – based on Arek’s sponsorship of me as a spouse. And really, it’s that wee pink and blue card that is my proof to live and work in the UK.
“Why Scotland to get married?”
We wanted to pay homage to the city and country that brought us together (despite neither of us being Scottish). We were very fortunate that both sides of our family and friends agreed to come to Scotland to celebrate with us.
The way we see it is, Scotland opened its arms to two foreigners and because of her openness, we found each other. Yes, it can happen in a multitude of other countries too, but we think it’s a nice way to look at it!
“Why did you need the Home Office’s blessing?”
Naturally, governments tend to be afraid of sham marriages, where the relationship is fake and one person is paying the other in order to stay in a country. When giving notice of your intention to marry, if one or both of you is not a UK or EU citizen, the Home Office needs to decide if they’d like to investigate the proposed marriage. As well, when applying for the UK Residence Card, the Home Office also has the right to investigate if they believe you are in a sham marriage.
Thankfully, we never got investigated either time, which I like to believe is proof that everything was meant to be!
“Don’t you miss Canada?”
In short, no. I am a very go-with-the-flow type of person and it’s not overly difficult for me to deal with change. That’s just my personality and how I’ve always been. Sometimes, I do miss some Chinese food and my grandma’s cooking, but I very much enjoy the lifestyle in Edinburgh more so than in Vancouver.
“Will you ever move back to Canada?”
Never say never! However, for the foreseeable future, we don’t plan to move to Canada. We never had any intention to, and now with the madness that is Brexit, it solidifies our position even more.
How, you say? Well, firstly, Brexit creates uncertainty for EU citizens, of which Arek is one, and by default, it creates uncertainty for me. And secondly, when two people are from two completely different countries where one person would always require a visa and/or sponsorship to stay in a country, the most important thing to strive for is stability and security, especially if you are committed to being together forever.
Therefore, at the moment, our plan is for both of us to obtain UK citizenship – the most realistic one to obtain right now – so that there will be that one country where we won’t have to deal with visas and sponsorship.
In any case, we are both enjoying our life in Edinburgh right now, so Canada is just for holidays.
Have you moved to a country that you never want to leave? Or maybe you’ve experienced an opposite situation? Let me know your story in the comments!
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