Sunday
May302010
Passports and Visas
May 30, 2010
Well this has been an ongoing ordeal!
Getting a passport for Lilliane was an 8 week project. It meant many trips to Ramagana - a distance of two hours travel time and then twenty minutes more to the district office. Finally, after convincing the immigration office that we would bring her back to Rwanda, plus 50,000 rwf ($100), the passport was issued.
And now a new ordeal.
The not user friendly US Embassy has to issue a visa for travel to the US. I resent having to deal with a web site and not a real person when I have a problem in a third world country. I followed all the directions filled out the forms made the appointment on the web site calendar, paid the $131 and the only date available was June 14. Now the ticket for her had to be paid for by the 10th of June. This means if they refuse the visa we are out over $2000. To take steps to avoid this happening, I made a trip to the Embassy on the day specified for Americans to talk to the Consul if they had a problem. Well guess what, no real person spoke to me and I was instructed to send an email. I returned to Urukundo and duly sent my email, to which the reply was "sorry we cannot change your appointment".
Thank God the EOS Travel Agent was not so unyielding. They agreed to hold her seat until we have the visa if we visit the office and confirm the numbers.
I am so grateful to these wonderful people and so disappointed in my own Embassy.
Please be in prayer that her Visa will be confirmed and she will be with me when I arrive in the US.
Getting a passport for Lilliane was an 8 week project. It meant many trips to Ramagana - a distance of two hours travel time and then twenty minutes more to the district office. Finally, after convincing the immigration office that we would bring her back to Rwanda, plus 50,000 rwf ($100), the passport was issued.
And now a new ordeal.
The not user friendly US Embassy has to issue a visa for travel to the US. I resent having to deal with a web site and not a real person when I have a problem in a third world country. I followed all the directions filled out the forms made the appointment on the web site calendar, paid the $131 and the only date available was June 14. Now the ticket for her had to be paid for by the 10th of June. This means if they refuse the visa we are out over $2000. To take steps to avoid this happening, I made a trip to the Embassy on the day specified for Americans to talk to the Consul if they had a problem. Well guess what, no real person spoke to me and I was instructed to send an email. I returned to Urukundo and duly sent my email, to which the reply was "sorry we cannot change your appointment".
Thank God the EOS Travel Agent was not so unyielding. They agreed to hold her seat until we have the visa if we visit the office and confirm the numbers.
I am so grateful to these wonderful people and so disappointed in my own Embassy.
Please be in prayer that her Visa will be confirmed and she will be with me when I arrive in the US.
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