Jul
14
Start Me Up!
July 14, 2008 |
Never took a liking to the Stones, and have heard few of their songs. But the title of this post is apparently one of their songs. So that’s why I chose it as a name for it.
Much have happened since last time I wrote something in here. The biggest news for those not in the know already I will save for further down in my incoherent ramblings. Meanwhile this has happened since last time:
Just before Songkran back in mid April, I had a stomach ache. Had them before. But this one would not go away. And when Nan came home from visiting her mom and found me in a fewer haze on the sofa, off to hospital I went. And now in mid July I am still recovering, and have acquired 3 scars in my abdomen, one of them quite huge. I spent most of that time in Hospital by the way.
Anyway I had an infection in my small intestine, and parts of it was removed. It took 3 surgery sessions, as I had complications in the form of infections in my abdomen…hence my long hospital stay. But they tell me I will recover.
Okay, back to the big news. Me and Nan has made a big decision. And that was actually made prior to me getting sick. We’ve decided to move to Norway. Many reasons for that. And I will get to them in later posts. I am actually flying out of her in about 2 weeks.
Nan and the kids will have to follow later due to the insane visa regulations we have up in the land of fjords. She will apply for a resident and work permit based on family reunion with me. I guess this is equivalent to a green card in the US for those of you that hail from there.
There are two routs she can take to get one. But the paper work involved is the same. The first route is that she applies for a resident and work permit for herself and the kids at the Royal Embassy in Bangkok, and wait here in Thailand for the application to be processed. That can take 2-6 months. An important note here: The children can not apply based on family reunion with me, as I am not their father. They can Only apply based on family reunion with Nan. But we can submit their papers at the same time, and their applications will be more or less automatically granted, provided she gets a positive answer.
The second way is for her to apply for an Entry visa straight away, together with her resident and work permit. This gives her a 7 day visa to Norway. And she will have to report to the Police within 7 days of arrival in Norway. Then she can stay in Norway while her application for a resident and work permit his processed. The processing time for a n entry visa is 1 month, but I have heard that some have gotten it within a week after applying.
Here the idiocy begins. The kids are not eligible for this type of Entry visa. Only Nan can get one. So that means leaving the kids in Thailand for several months. But for our part that may actually not be so bad. The kids are used to living with their grandmother for long periods, while Nan was away at work in Bangkok, Chonburi or wherever she could find work. And this will give her time to check out her new country before bringing the kids. She has never been there.
Anyway, neither of these visas can be applied for until I have a job and can prove income + a place for them to live. So that means I will have to leave first and find a job before nan and the kids can go to the embassy in Bangkok and apply for their visa’s.
It will be a lot of work putting together all the paperwork. But once Nan and the kids are in, it’s fairly easy going. She will have to renew her work and resident permit every year. But after 3 years she will be granted permanent resident status. And after 4 years - Norwegian Citizenship. The rule is normally 7 years. But the rule for the spouse of a Norwegian citizen is that they count years in country + years married. so after 4 years in Norway for Nan it will be 3 years in Norway plus 4 years married with me = 7 years. Hence the red passport with the golden Lion is hers for the taking. The only snag is I don’t think Norway accept double citizenship.
Ooookay….thats it!
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Comments
5 Comments so far
Oh yes….forgot to mention it….I will blog again. Have a nice summer folks!
Good to hear you’re back on your feets again. I look forward to see you again and hopefully to meet Nan :oD
A good thing your blog is back up again. How about calling it “Isaan to Norway” now? Haha.
Good to see you are recovering mate. What an ordeal and I look forward to reading more.
Nice to see you blogging again and good to know your health is improved. I know how it is for a Thai girl to come to the U.S. (through my wife), but it will be interesting to see what it’s like for a Thai girl to adjust to Norway. Looking forward to the continued posts.