• Subscribe
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Contact

Evolution Abroad

20 Feb 14

Getting Through the Visa Fuss, Hang in There!

It took me ten mornings at the immigration office, but I finally got my new visa!

Expiration date: October 21, 2015.

Because outside this office I do like Mexico, a lot! 😀

 

Mexico Visa

 

Visa requirements and payments vary strongly per country so I won´t bore you with all the details of mine. I guess lots of paperwork and hours/days/months/years of waiting sum up any kind of permit. My visa application took much longer than necessary. Insufficient use of digital platforms but also misunderstandings and chaos due to recent legal changes in the country were to blame, grrrr…

 

Guadalajara Sunrise View

 

Bound to have a residence or work permit there´s no way around some “immigration frustration” every year or so. In Mexico I can spend a lot of time waiting. I mean in general, I can spend all day waiting for occasional services, such as an electrician or cable guy who never shows. The visa renewal is also one of those waiting activities. Gotta have loooooots of patience.

 

patience is not passive waiting

 

Step 1: What Visa do you Qualify For?

So visa applications can be quite a pain, but you need it, as simple as that. The sooner you apply, the better. Make sure to investigate the visa regulations before the move. You don´t want to arrive at the airport and discover you can´t actually move in to the country due to missing papers.

Also, requirements vary depending on the country you are emigrating from. Many countries have a points based entry system that evaluates your skills and education level.

It´s best to start your search on the nation’s embassy/consulate website or an immigration specific website.

Use the Go Abroad Worldwide Embassy Finder to find your embassy:
http://embassy.goabroad.com/

 

Go Abroad Embassy Finder

 

If you´re not sure, you may want to consult a visa application specialist. Specialists can´t always guarantee a visa, but they do know what immigration officials want to read on your application form, so they can be very useful.

 

closer than yesterday

 

Step 2: How to Survive Immigration “Cheerfully”

I think that if I had the money I would pay someone to do the visa application for me to avoid the whole show. It for sure would safe a lot of time. But as long as that´s isn´t an option, I always make sure to bring something useful to do to fill up the otherwise wasted hours. Striking up some conversations also works. It´s the perfect opportunity to learn what others make of their move abroad.

 

Palacio Federal de Guadalajara

 

Famous Floor Four of Immigration Guadalajara

 

This time I met a Swedish family, a german girl, some Canadians, American veterans, a guy from Uruguay, a woman from Cuba and I was surprised to meet several New Zealanders. We exchanged “our stories” quickly. You know, the short version of the reason why you are living where you are living at the moment. It´s similar to the “story exchange” travelers do. I got creative in adding either more or less details to not get tired of telling the same thing over and over. Try something new every now and then 😀

 

message to the world

 

Visa in the Pocket!

We can see the federal building housing Immigration Affairs from our apartment. It actually makes quite a view but during these visa-days the building stands for not so fun times and a lot of money spent on taxi drives. With my new visa in my pocket I can enjoy the view again. Till October 2015. What a feeling! 😀

 

Guadalajara Rainbow View

 

Guadalajara Sunset View

 

Do you recognize the immigration frustration?
How do you make it through the visa fuss?

Any specific tips for your country?

*Hang in there!*

 

No related posts.

0 Comments
Filed in Preparations
  Posted by Marleen
Tagged immigration, patience, residente temporal, visa application, visa fuss

Evolution Abroad is powered by WordPress using theme Tribune
  • Hi there! I´m Marleen and this is my safe haven on the Web. I´m Dutch but I live in Guadalajara, Mexico. Here I share my adventures of living in a foreign country. Hopefully it inspires you to develop your own Evolution Abroad.
  • Archives

    • December 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
  • Categories

    • Across Cultures
    • Emotional Rollercoaster
    • Language Learning
    • Life in Mexico
    • Living Abroad
    • Multilingualism
    • Preparations
    • Travel in Mexico
    • Travel North America
    • Working Abroad
  • Recent Posts

    • La Huasteca Potosina: 4-Day Jungle Adventure in Hidden Travel Gem
    • 12 Things Every First-Time Visitor to Las Vegas Should Know
    • #3 Food & Cook Challenges You´ll Face Overseas (#2+3)
  • Blogs You´ll Love:

  • Other Expats & Travelers

    • A King´s Life
    • Danielle Abroad
    • Explore Dream Discover
  • Global Expat Networks

    • Expat Women
    • Girl Gone International
    • InterNations