Visas galore

So sorry for the lapse in postings; it has been a busy week at work and last night we were without internet. Tonight we had a couple friends over for Indian take-out, which was the perfect Thursday night activity. It sounds almost like a night in a U.S. city, except that we didn't actually have the phone number for this place, but we were really craving Indian, so I volunteered to go to the restaurant, put our order in, wait for it, and drive back with it. To be honest, I had a People magazine from our friend's recent trip back from the U.S. (Paris Hilton and Benji Maddon?? Eva Mendes in rehab?? Do you all want me to live in a celebrity-free zone for six months??) so I was quite pleased. But I've added the restaurant's phone number in my cell phone for future reference.

So six weeks into my time here and I've already been asked -- and agreed -- to help fill out electronic visa forms for some Liberian co-workers. One form required of people applying for a visa to the U.S. must actually be filled out and submitted directly online, so if you don't have computer access or skills, you're essentially out of luck. I'm essentially just a volunteer typist. One person I helped actually didn't get their visa approved, and I was confronted with the rejection letter and asked to explain this bad news. Luckily my first job out of college was working for a member of Congress whose office specialized in immigration casework. I explained that, as I understood it, the U.S. government sort of presumes that every foreigner who applies for a visa intends to violate the terms of their visa and stay in the U.S. permanently or beyond their approved stay. Applicants must prove they have something to come back to in their home country, like a job, school, family, etc.

Unfortunately, this applicant was both unemployed and not in school. I re-read the letter to them, which stated that they could of course re-apply at a later date. I was then asked, "So, if I can get an employment letter tomorrow, I can re-apply then?" Um, well, no, as that would be slightly suspicious, I would think, if you re-applied one day later and were suddenly employed. "Oh, so perhaps I'll wait a little bit, a few weeks, a month?" Um, well, I really can't advise you about what to do here, but if you ARE employed, it's probably a good thing to be able to demonstrate that you have a contract or a long-term commitment to this job. Just my two cents. Totally an educated guess.

I am totally going to be asked to submit another form for this person very soon.