Well, it wasn't quite so simple as "just" buying a house and moving over. First there was purging almost all of my worldly belongings. Then there was extensive research into the requirements to become a resident. Then there was a purging of most of the remnants of my worldly belongings. We'd been accumulating some decent furniture and electronics in Seattle over the years under the assumption that Jan would be moving there. Oh well :-P It's just stuff, even if I did feel like crying a couple times.
The requirements for residency aren't too onerous. I was applying based on family formation, and Jan had sufficient income to support us. I wasn't coming from one of -those- countries where an MVV (pre-entry visa) must be obtained before entering the country, or a basic intergration/language exam must be passed prior to entering the country to apply for residency. A rough requirement for those that have to meet it, since good Dutch lessons are in short supply around the world. I had my passport and proof of single status - an apostilled paper from the department of vital records saying a search for me in the marriage database came up empty. Jan got his work contract and payment records, and statement of single status, and statement of residence at our new house.
I arrived on Friday morning. Saturday morning, I filled out the short-term visit form online informing the Aliens' Police that I was staying in the country - this is required of everyone staying if they aren't staying in a hotel or campground. Tuesday morning we went by the local city hall to register as an inhabitant of Amersfoort - they wanted an apostilled birth certificate - had to order it from Washington. We also called IND (immigration) that day to make an appointment. The earliest available time was a few weeks ahead.
We went to the IND appointment, and were told we needed a third month's paystub and an official new copy of Jan's employment contract. We had the option of submitting an incomplete application and sending in the additional documents when we got a letter asking for them, or making another appointment to start over. It would take a few weeks to get another appointment, so we opted to submit the incomplete application. I got a very cool sticker/stamp in my passport showing I was allowed to remain for 6 months unless they decided they didn't want to make me a resident sooner. I was (finally) told that I can't work until resident status is approved - such a simple thing and NO info about it online anywhere.
One week later (on my birthday!) I received a letter in Dutch from the IND. I typed it out in google translate and it seemed to be saying I was accepted, and they'd send another letter saying where and when to pick up my resident card. My fiance confirmed that was what it said when he got home from work. Yay!
And since then ... nothing. That was over six weeks ago. The city of Amersfoort must have also been informed, since I was "invited" to an inburgering information appointment. Well, that letter started off by politiely inviting and than finished with apologetically explaining I would be fined if I missed the appointment without rescheduling it. The woman was surprised that I hadn't received my resident card yet, but said that had been happening a lot lately. She explained a few things about the inburgering process, such as that the language classes I would take depended on my current Dutch abilities -which she undercut my confidence in with a couple simple Dutch questions - and prior education level. So they have different classes available for people with no formal education, hence no experience forming study habits, and those with too much education, hence lots of experience slacking for months then cramming right before exams. But they would need to see my resident card before I could be processed (the first stage of assimilation!) Based on the timing of acceptance of my resident application and the timing of the inburgering appointment, getting my card should only have taken a couple weeks, at most. Time to call them soon, even if the letter said DO NOT CALL. WE WILL WRITE YOU.
So I'm a temporary resident (must be renewed after 1 year), but have no card. I can't get into the cheap language classes or get a job, even though I'm a legal resident and it's technically legal for me to work. Bleh!
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