The math of immigration

The good news is that as of today, Kyle is the proud owner of a permit for continuous residence in Bulgaria. The bad news is that we need to go through the whole thing, all over again, in 6 months. Let me explain.

In order for the foreign spouse of a Bulgarian citizen to reside in this thriving economy of ours, they need to possess a residence permit. They cannot apply for a permanent residence right away. They need to jump through the hoops for several years in order to earn the right to apply for permanent residence. Also, it is NOT up to them to decide how long their continuous residence should last. The state has decided that the maximum period for continuous residence is 1 year. It costs 500 leva. After your one year is up, you need to re-apply. And pay another 500 leva. You can only apply for permanent residence after five years in the country.

The interesting thing is that a 6-month continous residence permit costs 200 leva. In other words, if you apply for your permit twice a year, you would end up paying less than if you did it all once. I.e. you have a monetary incentive to deal with the whole bureaucracy of obtaining the permit more than once a year.

So, I did the math, and realized that after:

- submitting 10 application packages
- making at least 20 trips to the immigration office (one to submit the application and one to get your passport stamped)
- living here for at least 5 years
- and paying 2000 leva to the state of Bulgaria

...PERHAPS, maybe...some time in the summer of 2012, Kyle will be given a chance to apply for permanent residency in Bulgaria on the account of being married to me.

Thanks for the good wishes in advance. But, seriously, can someone please shoot me instead? Or give us a consultation with an immigration lawyer as a wedding present...There MUST be a way out of this nightmare!