Happy New Year

This year two very important events in our life will be decided.  Success or failure will be determined by a group of people who we have never met, and they will be making their decision based on a what they read about us on paper. Success in these two events will bring us overwhelming joy beyond our wildest dreams and failure will bring pain, sorrow and regrets. Two starkly different results but this is the situation we find ourselves in.

The first and probably most imminent event is the decision on our partner visa. For the last 6 months we have been working extremely hard on our submission.  Only those who have gone through the immigration process know how difficult and stressful it is.  Maybe some people have been lucky enough to have breezed through the process but for us it's been a long, stressful and expensive exercise.

People who we haven't let into the minute details of this arduous process think if your relationship is genuine then it must be a piece of cake.  Well, let me tell you it's not, far from it. Even when you are genuine if you have an unconventional relationship or one that immigration deems to have not progressed in a 'normal' fashion then chances are you need a mountain of evidence that you might not ordinarily have. Add to that bad legal advice, changes of rules and just plain bad luck we may be facing more than a year of separation if we are not successful.  

A lot is riding on this decision.  Our future is in their hands and of course the immigration department does not seem to have the word compassion in their vocabulary it's all about quotas and numbers I assume.

Apart from putting our lives on hold and being separated for perhaps up to 18 months, the other major event in our lives for 2015 that will be affected by the decision is our hopes to have a child. Our most cherished dream is to have a child together.  My husband (S) has no children and as I am a lot older than he is this particular dream has been the most challenging thing I have ever attempted in my life. Sadly if S is sent home then I don't know if this can be fulfilled.  It will be heartbreaking if we are unsuccessful as time is running out for us due to my age.

Despite the difficulties/challenges we will face in 2015 we're trying to stay positive and hopeful and if you are reading this I hope you will join me on our journey to fulfilling these most precious of dreams with the love of my life, my dear Pati Ji (husband) S.

Happy New Year :-)

~Rahnee