January 27, 2017 - Getting a Work Visa

January 27, 2017 – Getting a Work Visa

Being allowed to legally stay for an extended period in a foreign country is a lengthy process.  I originally wrote this in three separate blogs, because it took many time-consuming days.  I’ve decided to condense it.  I wish I could have condensed the many days getting my visa!

In mid-July, I got an email from Jeff, at the SCCLC, to start working on my work visa.  Most of the work had to be done through an immigration attorney, so I got the phone number and address of the one the school uses.  That would be Dr. Zabala.    It turns out that his office is 5 blocks away, on the other side of the stadium.  So is the immigration office.    

Around 4:00 that afternoon, I walked over to his office.  His office was smaller than my kitchen.  He talked a mile a minute, and I understood maybe half.  I got the cost for 1, 2, or 3 years of a work visa, plus information on what I need to do next.  Seriously, I only knew what I would do Monday morning: have pictures taken and sign papers at Interpol.

A few weeks later, Tabitha called me.  She is a girl working at another mission that was dragged around town, with me, to take care of Interpol on my last visa day.  She was wondering what was happening with her visa so she called the lawyer.  He told her they were waiting on a paper to be taken care of at the Palacio de Justicia (Hall of Justice).  The lawyer told her my paper had been taken care of.  So she called me to ask about the paper.  I had no idea what she was talking about.

Since Dr. Zabala’s office is close, I walked there Friday afternoon and he wasn’t open.  I went again Saturday morning and he wasn’t opened.  On Monday, I called his office and talked with him.  He told me I was missing that paper too, but should have received it; but I know I didn’t.  At 2:45 I walked over to his office.  He showed me the paper I was supposed to have gotten stamped and signed.  I said I never received it from him and explained that this was the same that Tabitha was missing.  He called his wife on the phone and they discussed it, deciding something went wrong on their part.  I agreed to come back the following morning.

I came back the following morning, expecting to stay all day.  The paper that Dr. Zabala showed me on Monday was taken care of by him and his wife before I arrived.  Dr. Zabala’s wife took photocopies of my passport and then took me across the street to Migración.  As is usual at many places, we stood in line for 20 minutes.  This was to get our ticket.  The problem is that people break in line or don’t understand how the line works.  If you do the right thing and wait, someone else will not.  I know the culture is different, but that seems wrong to me.

Once you have the ticket you wait for your ticket to be called.  The seats are narrower than those in airplanes.  Someone as big as me is crowded.  My friend Alma is the perfect size for those seats, but if you are bigger than her, which most of the world is, you are crowded.  Again, people broke in line.  But it wasn’t long until we were waited on.  I got my passport stamped.  That was it for the day.  It only took about an hour total. 

A month later, it was time for another fun day at Immigration.  I came early, even before Dr. Zabala was there.  That was a good thing, because I was in for a long day.  I bought breakfast on a nearby corner. 

Dr. Zabala’s wife gave me some papers and put me in a taxi to go to SEGIP headquarters on the north side of town.  SEGIP stands for Seguridad General de Identidad Personal (General Security of Personal Identity).  I found the office on the second floor.  There were no signs about what to do, but about 20 people seated near the door looking at me strangely.  The desk at the door was not occupied, but soon a man arrives and tells me to take a seat. 

A few minutes later he fussed at all of us seated there.  We were supposed to be in a line, though there are four rows.  One person moves, and everyone else moves, zigzagging their way to the front. It seems to work, except there were people who broke in line, or went to his desk insisting to be waited upon.  A young blonde girl did this and gave a dirty look to everyone seated and waiting.  He made her sit, which made her angry.

I finally got his desk and found him to be polite and helpful.  He stamped my papers, unstapled others, and stapled them back.  Finally, he handed me some papers and said I must get my picture taken on the other side of the room.  He said I can come back at 11:00 because they won’t get to me before then.  It was 8:50. The room was not so crowded, so I decide to take my chance.

I could have gone to the zoo!  It was close by.  There were three clerks taking care of the pictures.  After an hour, I started timing them.  It took them about 20 minutes per person.  As usual, people tried to break in line.  That same blonde girl came in, after being gone for an hour, and demanded to be taken care of next.  The man she made the demand to calmly told her to sit down, be quiet, wait her turn, or she would have to start all over tomorrow.

Around 11:00 the people I was sitting with at the start of the day were being waited on.  I was feeling like I would get out before lunch, except there was a surprise visit from a family from Japan.  They invaded all three desks and just kept insisting they did not speak Spanish.  The three clerks stopped what they were doing and waited on them.  That took almost 45 minutes.

It was 12:15 when my name was called.  I was asked a few questions, not the least if I am related to Harry Potter.  I was fingerprinted and my picture was taken.  My 20 minutes with the clerk passed and I was finished.  I was given a card that said to return on Monday the 31^st of October.

As I was leaving, I noticed that the blonde girl had still not been waited on and now there were only a handful of people left.  She scowled at me, as if I had broken in line.  Oh well, we won’t be going out for dinner, I assume.

I went back on the 31^st, prepared with a lunch in my backpack, in case I was there for the entire day.  But 30 minutes later, I was handed my carnet (the equivalent of a green card).  Finally, after three and a half months, I was finished.

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