legal!

The government of Iceland has approved my request for another year of work and residence here. My latest permit is good through next April. This is good news because my current residence permit expires in just 10 days.

The application process for the second year of this permit was almost identical to the first year's process: same essays (justification for why I wanted to live here), same triplicate forms, same assurances needed from my company that I wouldn't be sleeping on the street once my lease runs out in September. The difference this year was that I made the whole application in Icelandic and slapped in a copy of my Icelandic language class grades, too.

In all, the application ran to over 20 pages and took me around 15 hours to complete. Then the dreaded Helvítisútlendingastofnun (Directorate of Immigration) and their cronies at the Directorate of Labor sat on it for over a month. But for all my grumbling about having to turn these cartwheels every year, my Icelandic friends tell me this is nothing compared to the hassle that the U.S. gives its immigrants. And if I do this a few more times and wait six more years I could even be a citizen here.