When we first became aware of the requirement for the TB test, we had assumed that we could just get Susi to attend a private hospital and get the tests done.

A quick question on the Reunite Families ‘Circle’ group and I was quickly corrected. A link to where ‘approved clinics’ existed all over the world determined that there are, in fact, only two in Bangkok the immigration recognises. So another appointment was made ‘for next week sometime’; another week wasted.

So Susi attended the clinic in Bangkok.

What followed was a series of medical checks — x-ray, sputum test, blood test — all carried out not because of illness in the usual sense, but because the system requires reassurance. Once again, the personal became procedural.

By this stage, the application was part completed and underway.

The NHS surcharge was then paid — a significant amount, but one that opens access to healthcare and forms part of the wider structure of the visa system. Shortly afterwards, the main application fee was also paid, and the form formally submitted.

There is something curiously transactional about these moments.

After months of emotional, practical and financial effort, the turning points arrive as confirmations: payment successful, reference number issued, application received. Yet behind each confirmation lies a much larger story — of separation, rebuilding, and persistence.