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Shane looked across at Ilya, he brushed his knuckles and pressed a gentle kiss to his hand,
“Are you sure you want to do this alone?” Shane asked.
Ilya nodded enthusiastically, “I’m sure,” he stated with the biggest smile on his face.
The process getting to here was not easy, their marriage certificate had to be just so and an endless supply of paperwork to confirm this is legit.
Now the moment they’ve all been waiting for the immigration interview. And Ilya wants to do it alone which is completely fair enough but just incase,
“I can go with you if you want?” Shane repeated squeezing his hand,
“No, thanks, I’ll be fine малыш,” Ilya smiled softly.
They sat waiting for another half an hour, Ilya nervously clutching at his wait number ticket number 42, constantly checking the time just in case. Shane noticed and rested his hand on Ilya’s knee as a comforting gesture.
Eventually the door to the office opened and Ilya’s name is called,
“Mr Rozanov-Hollander?” The clerk queried.
Ilya stood up giving Shane’s hand one last squeeze,
“You got this,” Shane smiled softly handing Ilya over the meticulously kept file of Ilya’s immigration paperwork down to the emergency visa that protected Ilya from returning to Russia.
One last glance back, Shane smiled giving Ilya a thumbs up, he’s staying put waiting for Ilya.
The clerk showed Ilya into the office and gestured towards the seat opposite the desk, Ilya sat down very obediently and rested his folded of documents on the desk,
“Good morning,” the clerk begun opening both the file Ilya presented and a fresh application on the computer, “Could you state your full name and date of birth for me, please?”
“Uhh, good morning to you as well. My full name is Ilya Grigoryevich Rozanov-Hollander. I was born on 15th June, 1991.”
“Thank you, Mr. Rozanov-Hollander, off the record congrats to you and Hollander I will admit I was rooting for you two,” the clerk smirked momentarily dropping their tense posture in an effort to help Ilya feel a little more at ease.
“Thank you I guess?”
“Take it then it hasn’t been announced that you’ve taken Hollander’s last name,”
“No, your right,” Ilya realised, “We hoped it would make this process a little easier and family issues,” Ilya laughed, nervous still.
“Okay let’s continue. Can you confirm your current address?”
“I live at 224 Maple Street in Ottawa, Ontario, with my husband and our dog Anya.”
“And how long have you lived there?”
“Since August of 2018. Almost four years now. Shane and I bought the property together when I moved up as this has been kinda a long term plan for us, I feel like I’m revealing too much information,”
“No this is actually really helpful,” the clerk smiled their in fan screaming a little too loud,
“I understand you’re applying for Canadian citizenship based on your permanent residency and your marriage. Is that correct?”
“Yes uhh, Canada has been home since I met Shane. This is just making it official.”
“What is your spouse’s full name?”
“Shane Hollander. No middle name. His parents made things easy.”
The clerk smiled again, this time a practiced one, “And his date of birth?”
“10th May, 1991. He’s a Taurus, if that matters.”
“I don’t think it does. Where was your husband born?”
“Ottawa, Ontario I think. Very Canadian of him.”
“When did you first meet your husband?”
“December 2008, in Saskatchewan. We were both at a junior hockey tournament. My lighter wouldn’t work outside the rink, and he came over and introduced himself.”
“And how did your relationship develop? Sorry this is so weird I’ve always been like a super fan of you and Shane before your relationship went public and now I’m literally helping you stay in the country,” the clerk babbled.
Ilya laughed softly finally dropping the nervous posture, “You want the long or the short version? Because the whole country already knows thanks to Hayden.”
“The short version will do.”
“We saw each other on and off for years. Mostly when hockey put us in the same place. We dated other people. We kept finding our way back to each other anyway. We became exclusive—well, exclusive in one sense of the word—in February 2017 after All-Star Weekend. We officially started dating in November 2018. Apparently we needed ten years to figure it out.”
“When did you become engaged?”
“January 2021. Right after I almost died in a plane accident. It gives you perspective, my wedding vows were the final words I wrote for Shane if he had to bury me. Scary to think about now even.”
The clerk glanced over, the Hollanov vows are kinda legendary for being unknown, Shane did his in Russian and Ilya in English but no recording exists. It’s not technically a question but it’s half of one so the clerk will ask anyway.
“What were your vows, just to establish a general feel for the relationship?”
“I read what I wrote on the back of the emergency procedures card when I thought we were going to die I asked Shane to bury me with a jersey and a photo of him so I could show my mama in heaven the person he made me, and Shane surprised me with speaking Russian and promised to love me into the next eternity. It was very beautiful, please can we move on before I cry.”
“Alright hint taken sorry, so when were you married?”
“17th July, 2021.”
Ilya knows that date of by heart, the day he married the love of his life and got the family he always deserved by becoming a Hollander. Just one of the reasons why Ilya took Shane’s last name.
“Where was the wedding held?”
“City Hall in Ottawa. Then we had our reception, is that the correct word? Our reception in our back garden at our Cottage.”
“How many guests attended?”
“I don’t know off the top of my head, we just kinda invited friends and our teammates and they brought their SaPs and children, and the dinosaur Scott Hunter,”
“SaPs?” The clerk asked glancing over,
“Spouses and Partners introduced when Scott came out,”
The clerk nodded then continued, “Have either of you been married before?”
“No. It’s our first marriage and will be only marriage for both of us.”
“What does your husband do for work? It’s a stupid question given the context but I have to ask.”
“He’s a professional hockey player. He plays for the Ottawa Centaurs. Same team as me,” Ilya paused, “Weak backhand, though.”
The clerk looked up fighting a laugh, “I’ll make a note of everything except that last part.”
“You should note it. It’s true.”
“What are his usual working hours?”
“Our schedule changes all the time depending on games and travel. During a normal week at home, Shane gets up around six to go for a run, then he’s in the gym by nine. We head to the rink around midday and usually don’t leave until seven in the evening.”
“Who gets up first?”
“Shane. Always Shane. He’s the morning person in our house. I think six in the morning is a crime.”
“And who does the cooking?”
“Shane cooks more during the week because he likes being so organised. He likes making breakfast and getting me to try new recipes on weekends. I like to cook anything that’s not rabbit food when I get in the kitchen.”
“Do you have any joint finances?”
“Yes. We have a joint bank account, joint ownership of our house in the city and our cottage by the lake, Shane does have like a full on real estate collection but that’s his hobby not mine. Mr Landlord,” Ilya muttered rolling his eyes “and we’re both on our home and car insurance policies.”
“Do you have evidence of that with you?”
“Of course in the folded I brought with me,” Ilya pushed the folder further towards the clerk, “It’s bank statements, insurance documents, proof of ownership. Shane made copies of everything.”
“Thank you, tell Shane it’s very well organised. Have you travelled outside Canada since becoming a permanent resident?”
“Yes. Frequently. We play in the NHL as you well know, so crossing the border into the United States is basically part of our job.”
“Does your husband accompany you on those trips? I can’t believe I’ve just had to ask that,”
“Normally, yes. We play for the same team, so it would be strange if he didn’t.”
“According to your records, you’ve been physically present in Canada for the mandatory one thousand days during the qualifying period. Is that correct?”
“That’s what my records say too.”
“Why do you want to become a Canadian citizen?”
Ilya’s expression softened a little.
“Because Canada is home. My husband and I built our life here. Our friends are here, our family is here, our future is here. I want to be a citizen of the country where I plan to spend the rest of my life and raise a family, don’t tell Shane I’m telling a stranger this.”
“Your secrets safe with me. Do you understand the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship?”
“Yes. I understand the rights, like voting and having a Canadian passport, and the responsibilities, like obeying the law and participating in civic life. It’s mostly common sense but Shane, Yuna and David explained what I didn’t get.”
“Has anything changed in your application since you submitted it?”
“No. Everything is still accurate, I’m pretty sure it is, my name is up to date right?” Ilya asked leaning over the desk,
“Rozanov-Hollander, name change application changed and finalised 16th July 2021, day before your wedding right?”
Ilya nodded as it’s correct. Ilya is the name his mother gave him, Rozanov is the name his father gave him and it could never be his. The clerk closed the file.
“Thank you, Mr. Rozanov-Hollander. I don’t have any further questions, just good luck next season.”
Ilya stood, offering a small smile.
“Thank you.”
He stepped out of the office and quietly pulled the door shut behind him.
Shane leapt up seeing Ilya exit the office, unaware the clerk was still watching on the CCTV. The clerk watched minor fanning over seeing Shane and Ilya and possibly be one of the first members of the public to find out that Ilya changed his name. Honestly the NHL aren’t ready for it.
Bonus:
It’s a big night for Ilya and Shane.
Ilya is debuting the new last name tonight, it’s a tight fit across the shoulders cramming in Rozanov-Hollander but it’s not as if Ilya doesn’t have the room for it.
Ilya may be wearing his name but Hollander is the one truly wearing Ilya, the hickeys are insane and entirely Ilya’s fault.
The crowd goes wild at the hockey ‘it’ couple entering the ice for the first time but this is different. It takes moments for the crowd to notice but once they do they go wild for ‘Rozanov-Hollander’ and all Ilya can do is look at Shane.