"It Takes All The Running You Can Do, To Keep In The Same Place"

I just can't shake the feeling that I have been running as fast as I can, but just can't seem to get anywhere. You know...where you feel like you're just spinning your wheels and you are just totally and completely stuck? Yup...I feel as though we are stuck in the same spot we were 2 months ago when the visa process started, I am actually pretty sure we may be going backwards. While we are waiting for that ONE piece of paper called the Academic Technology Clearance Scheme (ATAS), my worst nightmare. The humorous thing is that this ATAS certificate is to clear Trevor from the possibility that he is coming to the UK on this visa to be a “terrorist” or build Weapons of Mass Destruction. Anyone that knows Trevor I am sure would find this absurd. So, we have been waiting over 50 + working days for this required document (what is normally not supposed to take over 20 days) in order to send in our visa applications, two of the supporting documents have expired! Ugh...you work so hard to get all the documentation and you still end up short. If this were the only problem I would be totally fine, but it gets worse.

ATAS can only contacted by email...and they do not respond to our emails to know that they have tripled the time it takes to respond and process our application making me late for school...likely meaning I can not go to school this year if this document does not come in, well, by this Thursday the 8^th. Trevor can get there any time luckily because he does not have any classes to take to stay on a schedule. So likely I have an entire year to wait for my dream of beginning grad school (since this particular Msc does not have semesters), and will be doing something I don't enjoy to make ends meet because this means a 6 month laps from being in school = time to start paying back all undergraduate loans.

If you need a visual of how much work it really takes to get a visa...here it is!

Our Visa Binder- Everything contained in this binder is simply the explanation of how to apply.  Unfortunately, we had to gather all of this information ourselves as the only people that have advised us on this are limited in the information they are allowed to divulge as no one wants to be sued for some one not getting their visa on time.  

These are all the required documents to be mailed in to actually get the visa portion of the passport.

Our best friend throughout this process...our calling card, which is now empty. 

The whole stack of paperwork we have been through.

Trevor and I are feeling so hopeless and helpless with this whole process and wondering if it will ever end. We are really keeping our fingers crossed to get this ONE piece of paperwork by Thursday. I am starting to wonder if it may have been more wise to pay the $1,000 and have someone else do it! But who would have thought two educated individuals can not do a visa application alone. All is done now and we can not go back...so all we can do is hope that everything else stays true to schedule and there are not any hold ups or issues with our other documents. Please send any good and happy vibes you have because we could use them all. I hope all future blogs from here will be positive ones...and all you wonderful blog followers will get what you came for and not all this whining!