Sigh .. same boat Birdy.
And I feel like ranting too.
The point of EU is that we don't have to stay in the 'original' EU country we once were born in, but should be allowed to live where we choose to. Especially if said EU country happens to be something that you didn't really like even as a kid, and haven't lived there since you were a teen. Just the same as if someone was born in Utah, Iowa, or Wyoming, no one expects them to stay within that state if they wanted to move to some other area of the States.
I thought that getting married would help solve the 90 days problem for both me and the non-EU spouse. I was very wrong. Ireland makes this whole hassle .. just because we are married. A year with my lousy salary for both of us, then nothing .. because also USCIS f-d up. Treated like a criminal also for the spouse's country BECAUSE we are married ... I don't know what to do. So, applying for jobs, in UK, a few things still in Ireland, in Malta, in Norway, Canada .. don't really care any more.
Since we didn't live together in another EU country before he moved here, I don't really expect a positive answer. After 9 months of which close to 7 sitting on my Irish driver's license, they still need 'a proof of residency' (they can't make photocopies? Like the Irish IT recruiters who can't open a PDF file.. or they could not read and thus see that the driver's license actually has an address in it?) and a proof of the EU-spouse working ... that after 9 months of nothing. Once I send those, maybe in July they will write another letter asking for proof that we lived in another EU country, and by Christmas maybe they will come with a 'no'. All while their politicians make this big show of how all the illegal Irish should get special treatment in my spouse's country.
Eventually ... either in a year I hopefully can finally live in my spouse's country, or at that point trying a few more options.. New Zealand, Singapore .. and after that, starting to look at asylum options.
This doesn't feel like fun any more..