I've just had a very weird conversation with our (new) casehandler at the immigrants office. Since it was time to renew James' permit we sent in the correct forms early on in november and got the usual paper back confirming they had got the forms and that James was allowed to stay in Sweden while they process it. But we heard nothing from them so today i called to ask what was happening. Because the previous times we have done this it has gone very smoothly and we end up getting the renewal before the time expires on the old one. It seems that this time we had got mixed up with the people applying for the first time. So she had been planning to call us for an interview sometime in march! But i quickly set her straight when i understood what she was going on about because she wasnt the most precis woman i've ever talked to. She had a better look in her papers and came to the same conclusion as me, that it was time for James to get a permanent permit, or a PUT (permanent uppehĺlls tillstĺnd) as they call it. I knew this, because i do read the fineprint in which it says that after 3 years in Sweden you are intitled to a PUT or you have to leave the country, and I was wondering if that was why it was taking so much longer then before.

Anyway, been through this mess of red tape 2 times before i dont expect it to be any more pleasent then the last time when we got this old bat asking ME if we really were a couple and wanting to see the engagement ring i hadnt got yet and so forth. But on wednesday next week we are going to the office in Borlänge to get everything sorted. And after that James will only need to go and get a new stamp in his passport every 3 years, like my mum does since she is an english citizen as well.