Are you on the list?

June 11, 2012 When I married a British man, I was amazed to find that I was now subject to something called “The Right To Free Movement” act. As the family member of an EU citizen (with a Pakistani passport) I still had to apply for a visa, but now I was no longer under any obligation to provide the invasive information about a) my financial affairs b) my employer c) my dress size (this is not true) d) my hotel details – or a certificate from the police station if I was staying with a friend or family member (yes, this is true). I no longer had to pay for my visa, and it would arrive in a few days as compared to the months it could take otherwise.
 
This was a revelation to me. For 18 years, visas, immigration, and passport control have been a feature of my life, and for the first time there was some relief. However, if you are on The List, which includes countries such as Syria, India, Iran and of course Pakistan (the usual suspects), then your EU visa can take much longer.   
 
So . . . for me it’s one week to the festival – Please Sir, Can I Have My Visa? I’m traveling in three days! I swear I am not an undesirable. Although perhaps some would say the poets ARE the undesirables. Just look at the treatment of the poet girl in Bahrain . . . but that is another story.
 
Thankfully, the Dutch appreciate poets (which is apparent from the level of poetic activity around the country, including the Rotterdam Poetry International Festival!). My visa arrived in the nick of time . . . and now, I shall be on my way. See you there! And if possible, please could there be a few sunny days? We don’t have those in the UK, you see . . .