Reykjavík Grapevine - feb. 2020, Blaðsíða 40

Reykjavík Grapevine - feb. 2020, Blaðsíða 40
L IF E , T R AV EL & EN T ER TA INMEN T IN ICEL A ND Issue 02 ! 2020 Feb 7th—March 5th www.grapevine.is LAST WORDS Fury And Ire And The Office Of Immigration Words: Sam O’Donnell In 2017, legislation was passed requiring im- migrants to provide further proof of identity at the discretion of the agent processing their case. In 2018, I moved to Iceland with my wife, who is Icelandic. Last week, I received a request from Útlendingastofnun (ÚTL) demanding photos of us together taken dur- ing holidays, travelling, and in everyday life in order to determine that we are actually married. I say this with the utmost sincerity, from the bottom of my heart: What a crock. Like every hopeful immigrant, I already gave ÚTL a bunch of legal documentation when I applied for residency. Why should I have to provide more documentation prov- ing my wife and I are truly married? And what constitutes a valid photo? If one of us is smiling and the other is not, could the agent decide that our marriage is not valid and deny my residency? Anyway, if someone were to fake an entire marriage, wouldn’t such a person have fake photos ready to show government officials? How many pictures does it take to validate a marriage with the Directorate of Immigra- tion? We sent them over 40 images, but our agent could decide that this is not enough and demand more. Could they ask for more than photos? Could they ask to see private messages between us? I’m not comfortable with that. At this time, I am nervous to travel. If I have to fly back to the States for any reason, I worry about returning home to Iceland. My residence permit has expired in the time ÚTL has dragged their feet on processing my renewal. This new photo stipulation has only delayed the process further. Someone should sit the people in this of- fice down and force them to watch ‘90 Day Fiancée.’ The fact is, people who get married just for a visa don’t last long. Big surprise, I know. But people who are in a healthy, com- mitted relationship stay together through good times and bad. Dealing with ÚTL is one of the bad times. The fact that we remain together after this mess should be proof enough for that office full of silly people. GUIDED DAY TOURS WWW.RSS.IS BOOKING ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE 24/7 +354 497 5000 WWW.RSS.IS 2019 CERTIFCATE of EXCELLENCE BOOKING ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE 24/7 + 354 497 8000 WWW.AIRPORTDIRECT.IS OFFICIAL PARTNER WITH KEF AIRPORT AIRPORT TRANSFERS WWW.AIRPORTDIRECT.IS GET 10% DISCOUNT BY USING THE CODE GRAPEVINE10 GET 10% DISCOUNT BY USING THE CODE GRAPEVINE10 DOOR TO DOOR SERVICEREYKJAVIK TERMINAL TO KEF AIRPORT 3.000ISKP R I C EF R O M P R I C EF R O M 5.990ISK ECONOMY PREMIUM PRICE FROM PRICE FROM6.990ISK 5.390ISK GOLDEN CIRCLE NORTHERN LIGHTS WWW.RSS.IS/GCC WWW.RSS.IS/NLS Call sales office from 08:00 - 17:00 or book online. ARCANUM.IS • INFO@ARCANUM.IS • TEL: +354 587 9999 Adventure Tours in South Iceland Snowmobiles on M!rdalsjökull Glacier From: 22.990 ISK. ATV’s on Black Sand Beaches with a visit to the Plane Wreck From: 14.990 ISK.

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