Paulkyville

Yesterday I received an email from the AHC confirming that my application for permanent residency had been successful! To say I was pleased was quite an understatement! I have to go at least once before 7th July next year, otherwise I have to begin the whole process again, so am planning a quick trip (or as quick as a whole day's travelling there and back will allow) sometime next year, probably March. I think I have now done the easy part; everything that comes next is far more complex and complicated and requires untold bureaucracy and inevitable faffing, as it will involve the British government, as well as having to sell the house for a decent profit and quit my job and say goodbye to friends and family. But for now, there are no more hoops to jump through and I can relax a bit, before the scramble begins. Oh, and Yippee!

Whilst I await word from the AHC, I thought I'd share with you my plans for when I (hopefully) get my permanent residency status, a plan I refer to as my Exit Strategy. Once all the hard work of selling houses, closing bank accounts, moving pensions and so forth is done and Mrs Paulky and I have our bags packed, the plan is that we will travel to Australia via the US. There are several reasons for this: It breaks up the mind numbing journey. It enables us to catch up with friends and relatives. We'll get to see a lot of the country. We'll be so broke afterwards we'll never attempt a journey like it again. If all goes well, our first port of call will be on the Sidewalker family , who live in New Jersey. We'd use their place as a base and visit New York, possibly going up to Niagara Falls too. Then it's down to Florida to visit a cousin in Miami. Having been to Florida before, I'm not too fussed about going to the theme parks, so it will likely be a few days ...

Well, it's been a quiet week on the migration front, with no new directives from AHC on what more they require of me. I suppose this is how it will be over the next few weeks, or even months, as they go over my application with a fine toothed comb. In some ways I feel strangely detached from it; after all, I can't influence or change anything and mentally pacing, awaiting news, in not going to do me any favours. I shall just sit, and wait. There are plenty of things to keep my mind occupied, not least of which is work, which is busy as always, and naming random people on the train, of course. The BBC Proms start tomorrow and next week I am off to a few concerts, so I'm looking forward to that. It's something I do every year and have done for the last 22, and is perhaps one of the few things I will miss about living in the UK. And yes, I know you can listen online, but nothing beats actually being there.

Two bits of good news to report today! The first came through yesterday, with the arrival of my Police Certificate. This is a mandatory check you have to undergo to prove you don't have (or confirm you do) a criminal record. In my case it came back with the words "No Trace" emblazoned in the middle of the form. A quick read of the accompanying notes reveals this means that there is no trace of a criminal record for me in the Police National Computer. This is what I was expecting, of course! But knowing my luck there would be another Paulky out there with a similar date of birth or something who was banged up for an armed blag (I watch too many cop shows) and they had gotten the two confused. But for once everything has gone smoothly and my un - blemi shed record is confirmed by the boys in Blue! My other bit of good news comes from the Doctor, who confirms my second lung X-ray is normal so I am not dying of something horrible. Phew! So the AHC should get my medical in...

Another day, another procedure. Yesterday it was the turn of the radiologists to get their hands on me. So off to a posh location in central London for my X-Ray. As always seems to be the case, there was more form filling to be done, but little waiting this time ans I was rushed straight in to a darkened room by a matter-of-fact-old-school type nurse who stood me in front of something that looked like it had just been in the latest Star trek movie, told me to take my shirt off and stick my chin on the little rest. She then positioned my hands on my hips (I thought I was about to do The Time Warp ) and then retreated behind her lead-lined screen. A few seconds later, my upper body bombarded by radiation, she goes off to check the X-Ray is clear, before coming back and telling me it's all over. I went to sign the form and then she handed my my passport with a big smile. Except it wasn't my passport. Ah. So off she goes to find mine (suddenly my mind starts coming up with all ...

Yesterday was the day of the medical. Not one of my favourite things to do, but it had to be done, so off I went to a little place in London to probed and prodded! The AHC give you a list of approved doctor's, so you can't just roll up to your GP and ask for an MOT. No, you have to spend £160 to get a stranger who has no idea of your medical history to ask you a few questions during a 30 minute exam, on which the rest of your life depends. Hmm . So first they give me a little jar in a plastic bag, and I know what's coming next. Now, on the few occasions I've had to do this, I'm always in a quandary as to how much is enough; do you fill the whole thing, or just a little? Unlike previously, when the container has been very small and you have to be very precise with your aim, this was quite a generous sized receptacle and so my dilemma was increased. Just how much do they want? So I retreat to the little boy's room (though in this case it's the little girl...

So I've had time to digest what's required of me, and I have to make a (very expensive, I suspect) appointment with a doctor recommended by the Australian High Commission. This involves blood tests, X-Rays and other medical probings. Oh how I look forward to that. (That's sarcasm, by the way.) I also have to have Police checks carried out to make sure I am not some hardened criminal (which, as someone pointed out, used to be the only way to get in to Australia!). This costs me £35. And finally I have to provide further evidence that Mrs Paulky and I are a bona fide couple; this one enables me to skip the Temporary Residence visa and skip straight to Permanent, so it's worth doing. Just now have to gather together suitable evidence, which makes my decision to have a clear out last month of all old documents suddenly seem unwise... One good thing that all this clarifies is that, assuming I get the visa, I have to make a trip to Australia before the medical and p...

Well, strike what I said yesterday about my application being put into a big pile! Today I get an email for the Australian High Commission asking me to go for a radiological exam and a medical and to have my police checks done withing the next 28 days. I thought I might have to wait a couple of months for the request, so was a bit surprised by this. I also have to provide a bit more info on what Mrs P and I have been up to for the last five years. Still, a step in the right direction and a lot quicker than I had hoped! Will keep you posted!

According to the Royal Mail, my application has been signed for at Australia House. Even now, someone has carefully placed it in a huge in tray along with several thousand others.