Reykjavík Grapevine - feb. 2020, Síða 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.
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