Visas...Part Deux

After nearly two months of couch surfing, we finally received our official invitations to apply for our visas. We were originally told to expect the invitations on 23 April. About a week prior to this, Mark received notification that the invitations would not arrive until 27 April. We planned to get our visa from the San Francisco consulate, as Danielle has family in the Bay Area who were gracious enough to allow us to stay with them. Delaying our trip to San Francisco by a week was easy enough. The calls were made for arrangements and everything seemed to be going smooth. A week delay in the grand scheme of things did not seem too bad, but little did we know...

Beginning in mid-April, the Russian Consulates no longer accept visa applications directly, at the consulate. They were in the midst of transitioning to utilizing a visa processing agency, as many other consulates do. However, the new system they were implementing was having technical difficulties. The Washington D.C., New York and Houston consulates had the new system up and running by the time it came for us to get our visas. However, the San Francisco and Seattle consulates were experiencing delays with the new technology and advised to check the website daily for updates to see if the new system had been implemented. It should be noted that each consulate has its own, separate website. The information on the website is different and the processes vary depending on location. So, we checked, checked and checked again. By the time we were ready to apply; the website had information of partial changes and advised the new service would be implemented 1 May. The site also had an automated form to schedule an appointment. It was very clear that no visa applications would be accepted without an appointment. It also stressed that each individual visa request needed separate appointments. This meant that we had to schedule two appointments and were not guaranteed they would be back to back. However, try as we might, the form did not allow for the user to request the San Francisco location to schedule appointments. Did this mean the new system had not been implemented in San Francisco? Or, maybe it was implemented, but they had no availability for applications. As the days ticked by closer to the day we were to head north, the site still did not allow for appointments in San Francisco. So, we weren’t sure which, of two locations, we were to apply to once we arrived in San Francisco; the consulate itself, or the processing agency. This may seem manageable and somewhat relieving that we would be able to get the visas one way or another. On the other hand, did we mention that 27 April was a Friday and the invitation didn’t actually arrive until Saturday, 28 April? Or, that Monday and Tuesday (30 April-1 May) were Russian holidays, so the consulate/agency would be closed until Wednesday, 3 May! We made plans to drive north to the Bay Area so we could go apply first thing Wednesday. We thought, one way or another, we would figure it out. We had to, after all, our flight had been booked for weeks now and we were set to leave 16 May!

We arrived in the Bay Area Tuesday night. We had time to catch up with family, plan our “attack” and get to bed at a reasonable hour. Our plan included taking BART into the city and then walking about 8 blocks to the agency, not the consulate…as every indicator suggested this was the place to go. Everything went as planned; we arrived at the agency (which was actually where we were supposed to be!) and began the waiting process, the same as the one for Seattle. No number to take. No stanchions to queue behind. No rhyme or reason. Being a seasoned vet at this and knowing how it worked, Mark asked out loud who was last in line. A couple indicated they were. We found a seat and waited.

The fees associated with the visa application vary. The standard fee is $170 for six day processing. The expedited fee is $280 for three day processing. When Mark was in Seattle for his first visit, timing relegated him to the expedited processing. He paid for three day processing and was told to come back the next day to pick up the completed visa. Mark saw numerous people apply for standard processing who were told to return in three days to pick up their visa. Armed with this information, we thought, “Hey, it’s only 2 May. Our flight leaves in exactly two weeks. Standard processing should be fine. Even if it takes 6 days, we’re still money”. That’s what we get for thinking! Our turn at the window came. We approached and supplied all of our paperwork. We provided the payment for standard processing. The attendant took all of our “stuff” and did her thing. She typed, clicked, shuffled and so on. She then pointed at a calendar on the wall next to her and indicated 16 May. We said, “yes, this is when the flight leaves”. She shook her head, and in her best English (which wasn’t much) said this is when we were to pick up our completed visas. Mark very nearly blew a gasket. The stress and waiting during this whole process was coming to a head.

We were able to decipher that there was ANOTHER holiday on 9 May. This is Victory day in Russia, commemorating Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany in WWII. How could we have missed this?!?! Well, it wasn’t included in the information on the website, it is not common knowledge in the US and, we guess, we just had a few other things on our mind and didn’t expect nearly the entire first half of May to be taken up by holidays. If 9 May was the only day that the consulate was closed, it wouldn’t have been as bad. But, the holiday spans three days. This cuts our two week time frame in half right off the bat! The problem is multi-faceted. The agency (and consulate for that matter) requires cashier’s checks, or another form of secured payment, for the application.  We went to the bank in Southern California and got all of this taken care of before we left. We explained to the girl that we only had the payment for standard processing. She indicated that, conveniently enough, there was a bank downstairs where we could get cash to make up the difference and we could apply for expedited processing. We had no choice to pay the extra $110 (PER VISA) for expedited processing and thought, if nothing else, this allows us more time because the visa will be done by the end of the week. It seemed reasonable to think that two days to process a three day, expedited application would doable, considering the coming holiday. Surely, steps would be taken to “expedite” the application…right?

Mark went down to the bank to get the cash, because he could not sit any longer and Danielle was afraid he would lose it at any moment. At this point, it is important to note that we were out of money. Every bit of planning, researching and cushioning for contingencies had been exhausted and we now were dipping into money that was to be used to secure housing once we arrived in Moscow. Mark returned with the money. The girl behind the window did her “thing” again and then pointed to the calendar again. This time she indicated 11 May! At this point we were beside ourselves. Originally, we had paid for six day processing and were going to get them in seven business days. Now, we were paying way too much for three day processing and will get the visas in five business days! With Mark’s experience in Seattle, and the timings of visa availability, we are convinced this “agency” is nothing more than a way to earn more money. And, of course, there is the agency fee…on top of the visa fee…PER VISA APPLICATION! Money makes the world go ‘round we guess. We went to the next window to pay and were provided with a receipt.

So, beyond angry, out of money and having to figure out how we were going to make all of this work, there was nothing else to do but find the nearest Starbucks and drown our sorrows (thankfully we had a couple of gift cards). However, a pitcher of beer (or twelve) would have been preferred. We gathered ourselves. More accurately, Danielle kept Mark from imploding. There were still multiple hurdles. We had to be back in Southern California for the girls’ vet appointment for their international health certificate (that will be another blog topic all together!!!). We had to finish packing. We still had family to visit with before leaving for more than two years. We could not stay in San Francisco for ten of the 14 days we had left in this country! We developed a plan, as we always do. We had to lean heavily, again, on family and we found a way to make it work. We confirmed before leaving the processing agency that we could have someone else pick up the visas. We were assured all that was needed was the receipt and anyone could pick them up. We made arrangements for family to pick up the visas which helped us feel a bit better about the situation. We went to the post office and prepaid so that, once picked up, the visas could be sent to us, overnight. With our families support, once again, we knew we were in good hands.

So, out of money, out of patience and on the verge of losing our minds, we spent a couple of much needed days visiting with friends and family in the bay area. To ensure that the stress and frustrations did not consume us, we made sure to take in a few sights and wineries in Napa and Livermore, and enjoy the time we had before heading back to Southern California. We finished a whirlwind tour of visiting with loved ones and the visas arrived in the mail, Saturday 12 April…four days before leaving.

For those who are looking for information and are considering a similar move, what can we say?

o    Whatever time and money you think will be ample for your situation, add twenty percent to that…at least!

o    Make sure you make the move on your timeline. If your employer is insisting, pressuring or even suggesting you need to be in country sooner than you are comfortable, make sure they are making arrangements and paying for all of the incidentals, as well as flights, visas, accommodations, etc. But, as first mentioned, don’t do it unless you’re ready and comfortable.  We had a suggested start date and, after all of the delays and waiting, we purchased tickets prior to having everything in order. This was only done because waiting until the visas were secured would have nearly doubled the airfare. Again, we could have waited and then the employer would have waited. But, we lost focus and got anxious and paid for it because we had to wait on others. The original timeline was acceptable and we were comfortable with it. However, after multiple delays and having to depend on others, we were “forced” into acting before we should have, instead of resetting our timeline. Make sure you are comfortable with everything and don’t get tunnel vision on a date or a process that makes you lose sight of the bigger picture…your happiness. However, don’t forget that a big move like this is hard and you will probably be “uncomfortable” for a number of reasons. If you wait until you are comfortable with the entire situation, then you may never leave. Each person/family will have to work hard to identify the difference.

o    We were caught in a tough spot because of the first two points above. We planned with cushions in place, both time and money, or so we thought. As we hit roadblocks and hurdles, we spent more time without income. This, in turn, meant we spent more money, as being without a home base and nomadic, costs money. The combination of extending the move and decreasing the bank account is what made things more difficult than they had to be. Set your thresholds. Know what you are comfortable with and know if, when and how you are willing to pull the plug on the move. We never got to that point and don’t regret our decision. But, it’s important to know all of this before you start.

o    Have a support system. Loved ones, colleagues, anyone you can lean on for a shoulder, an ear or just information. You cannot do this alone. No matter how strong you think you are. :)

o    Know that your support system will be strained. If you are moving with a family, know things will get beyond difficult. There is no way to put into words how difficult this type of thing can be and each individual handles stress differently. If you are single, you will still struggle. You may have less stressors than a family, but you will still struggle. Be ready to persevere and come out stronger in the end.

So far, we have had struggles. We have had moments of asking “what did we do?” But, we had those in Doha too. We think that is inevitable. However, we have already seen and done things we would have never dreamed of. This is not easy. But, the rewards are seemingly endless. You WILL become stronger. You WILL grow. You WILL be sad. You WILL be happy. You WILL be amazed. You WILL meet incredible people. You WILL have fun. You have no choice. Who’s coming next?!?!