October 2, 2018

We spent a whole three months in Pearl Lagoon, our plan was to stay there much longer. At least a year was our idea. We kept ourselves busy while there, and I hardly had time to write anything for this blog. We've kept on with our struggle to stabilize our situation, only to be continually let down by the system. At least we are in good health and still together.

We've kept on in our attempts to get into Canada. Its been more than 4 years now since I left and I haven't been back even once. I am not willing to go without Jean. The political situation in Nicaragua still has not affected the brothers in the Atlantic coast significantly so this wasn't a concern for us. We decided to keep on pursuing the possibility of me getting residency in Nicaragua so that we could both be legal permanent residents of the same country. After going through lawyers, spending money we didn't have to spend, lots of visa runs, and fixing papers that the judge had filled out incorrectly we finally had everything in order.

Unfortunately, now there is no way for me to get residency in Nicaragua even though I am married to a Nicaraguan citizen. The reasons are unclear, but I know I'm not the only one in this situation. I met a man with his lawyer in Managua who had just been told to start over again because all the requirements have changed. Furthermore, immigration told me that I have to leave. I am no longer allowed to cross the border into Costa Rica and return (even if longer than 3 days) because I have been in Nicaragua too long. They wanted me to return to my country. In effect we are being forced to leave Nicaragua. Obviously, we leave together.

Since Canada is also making it impossible for us to go to my country, we've decided to consult the internet for a list of countries where both of us can go without a visa. The number of options was actually quite surprising and encouraging. There are a lot of exciting, interesting, and beautiful countries (affordable too!) that will allow us to live there at least for a time without having to worry about immigration papers. This should give us enough time to finally get the papers for Jean to come with me to Canada.

Because the country we are currently in doesn't enjoy the same level of safety as Nicaragua, I'll be deliberately vague on our exact location. But its cheap, the food is amazing, and I'm wearing a winter jacket while typing this. And the town we live in does have a reputation for relative safety.

I'll admit i'm surprised how difficult its been for me, a 4th generation Canadian citizen to bring his own wife into the country, even after being married for three years. It isn't impossible, in theory we can go eventually. The problem is the first two times we tried to go, our intention was not to stay in Canada. We wanted to return to Nicaragua after a quick visit with my family. So naturally we applied for a visitor visa. It was denied both times, for reasons that I couldn't understand at the time. Interestingly though, there is a provision where Canadian citizens can demand information pertaining to them from the government. Its similar to the United State's "freedom of information" act.

Imagine my surprise on reading the immigration officer's personal comments to his supervisors that were written on my wife's application. He didn't read it. He saw "Nicaragua" "Canadian husband" and denied it. He saw a clever Nicaraguan trying to cheat her way into Canada to steal jobs, with a fake marriage to a Canadian that doesn't exist. Its very disappointing to be called a liar by your own country, to be denied the right to go home by someone that might not even be a Canadian themselves. I did some digging, the application was processed in Mexico, and in Mexico just like Nicaragua most of the embassy workers are locals. The only person working at the Canadian embassy in Nicaragua for example can barely speak English at all.

Our only option now is to go for the complete Canadian residency. Jean can apply for this from outside the country and hopefully they actually read this one. For this one we only have to prove to them that we are really married. Maybe the fact that I haven't come home for four years will convince them? Or maybe they will even read this blog. It would be a nice change of pace if they started reading things they're supposed to.

In any case were having a great time where we are. We are high in the mountains at an altitude of over 2,000 meters. Thats right, meters. The first week or so we felt short of breath but now we're feeling normal again. Actually, with the cool weather we feel like we have even more energy to get things done. The city we live in has a reputation of enacting "street justice" on thieves and as a result the crime rate is surprisingly low. Its common to see people walking in the street at night, unafraid to use their smartphones in public. The cost of some things is higher than in Nicaragua, as its a more developed country by far. However the cost of food is much lower, probably due to the amount farming in the area, especially of green veggies and fruit. In the end we spend less overall, and we have the opportunity to go places like McDonalds once in a while. There is even a Walmart here.