Hey DD,
Boy, do I know how you feel. I applied THREE MONTHS before one of my girlfriends, and they are a few steps AHEAD of me in the process right now. Here's the kicker. I lived with my man for two years in DR, and immigration told us there was no need to get married for the visa because we qualified as common-law at this point. QUOTE - "Common-law partners are regarded the SAME as married couples." So I'm thinking "great! one less thing to do!" All I had to do was prove we lived together for so long. Easy. Rent receipts and photos, testimonials, etc.
But my friend, who is now racing ahead of me in the process, is married. I agree with you, this is not a coincidence. They are favouring her because she got the piece of paper. Even though she has only ever visited him for two weeks at a time. My spouse and I are legitimate. We lived together, worked, paid bills, argued about what's for dinner, all the stuff real partners do in real life.
But because I didn't go for the piece of paper, my application is lagging behind. I find it unfair they advised me I didn't need to be married. If we are denied the visa, I think that's excellent grounds for appeal.
And that's it for my venting session. Know how you feel, DD!
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