What a freakin' headache!

.....AKA the Brazilian consulate of Miami.

I mentioned just the other day that I felt like something wasn't right with what the consulate was telling me vs what I was reading about the permanent visa. Turns out I was right. Big surprise. Big headache.

I felt nervous when I first arrived at the consulate today, but I always do since we have to drive all the way there and I want everything to go like it should so I don't feel like our trip was in vain. Unlike our last visit to the consulate though, there was a huge line for people wanting a visa (probably due to Carnaval), but we did eventually make it to the window to be waited on. That's when my fear was confirmed. I was told that I needed to fill out an application and have my husband complete an affidavit of support for me in order to get my permanent visa. I was told that everything that I believed about getting my visa was wrong. That made me nervous and pissed because I don't have time to take off of work and drive to Miami to be told that I'm missing a lot of paperwork. I stress out about these things and that's why I got mad.

Now that I look back on this morning I do realize that I probably overreacted a bit. But that's not the point. The issue is that the website AND the consulate's confusing e-mails were wrong. I had been told that we only needed to take a few documents to request the visa (the first step), and then complete the second step, listed on the consulate's website, once the authorization came back from Brazil. It's at that time, the second step, that we pay and complete the application. Of course this was wrong. I tried to tell the girl that, too, but she wouldn't have any of it. Of course the consulate's website was not wrong. Imagine that! And then the e-mails. No way. Ooooh, I was so mad. And of course you can't call. There is no way to contact the visa department by phone.

The thing is that I have to take off of work to drive to Miami to take care of this stuff and it stresses me out. I don't need some chic telling me something else, especially when I can tell that she doesn't know how to do her job right. And the affidavit? Not mentioned at all on the website. Now completing that form was a piece of cake, but that's not the point, is it?

In the end, what we had to do was complete the affidavit of support, which I filled out while E went downstairs to the ATM to get cash to pay for the visa + legalization fees. He signed it later. I then had to complete the visa application on the computer, print out my protocol number, AND get a passport picture taken. Luckily for me, a girl who was at the consulate to get her visa gave me a business card of a Brazilian company only 6 floors below us who'd take instant pictures.

This didn't take us too long to get, but I was still mad and then worried because it was almost noon and the visa department is only open 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. So we were rushing around to get everything done and even though we finished after noon, we were allowed to finish our process since we started at 10:30 a.m. But I didn't know that when the girl told me that all the information that I had was wrong and that I was missing a lot. I also didn't know that I could get my picture taken in that building and that the affidavit was easy to complete. I freaked out because she was telling me all that we needed to complete and I didn't imagine that we could get it all done that day.

Once we had everything completed and paid our visa fees, we handed in everything to a different woman (thank God). She seemed very competent and organized. She was polite, too. She went over all of our documents and was very thorough (and gawked in confusion at E's birth certificate, even showing it to her co-worker, since she'd never seen one like his before), she made copies, and then returned all of the originals to us. That didn't take anymore than 10 minutes, tops.

Finally, I was told that the permanent visa could take up to 6 months to be approved (which I was aware of), but once it is, the consulate will call me and I can pick it up. They have to collect all of the paperwork from us - copies of our passports, our marriage certificate, the marriage registration from the consulate, proof of my residency in Florida, E's passport, the application, the affidavit, and of course the money - and then send it to Brasilia to be approved (or denied). The weird thing is that if we had been married 14 months longer than we have been, my permanent visa would be approved in 5 business days right there at the consulate.  

Now all I can do is wait....and hope that it is approved in much less time (which I think it will be). I was told it can take a little as 4 weeks. Let's hope that's the case.

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On the bright side, I have successfully applied for my permanent visa and there is nothing else I need to do, legally, about moving to Brazil. In addition, since we're in Miami we decided to take a trip to the beach, relax, eat at a Bolivian restaurant, and now E is training at a jiu jitsu academy while I write and study. All in all, it was a worthwhile trip, even with the headache.

Biscayne Bay

Bolivian Food - Pique Macho

In Little Havanna

Passports, and Visas, and the Consulate...oh my!

I'm frustrated because I think I was given false information by the consulate. Before we registered our marriage back in December, I had sent the consulate a number of e-mails asking about marriage registration and the permanent visa. I wanted to know if my husband needed to renew his passport before I could apply for MY visa since he has to prove his nationality (even though he has his birth certificate?). I was told "YES". That is what I think was misleading/false information.

I've recently been over obsessing about my visa and the more I REread, again and again and again, the more I'm convinced that the people who respond to e-mails at the Miami consulate just don't know English well. Even the website doesn't explain well the steps to getting the permanent visa; it lists what we need but not how to go about doing it. On top of that, the consulate won't accept visa-related phone calls. You have to send e-mails (to people who have not quite mastered the English language).

All of this is confusing and a bit frustrating. So, after conversing back and forth with the consulate, via e-mail of course, I have come to the conclusion that I don't need to wait any longer to apply for the visa. And frankly, should not have waited this long. But, just in case they were right about needing to renew my husband's passport.....it came in the mail today....

Now we both have blue passports

I have decided then to take a trip to Miami this week to apply for my visa. I will take everything, and more, that they require and hope for the best. We have probably 4 1/2 months before we move so I don't want to wait any longer (although the visa shouldn't *crosses fingers* take that long). I'm also taking my husband along because I don't want any issues about applying on the basis of marriage and then not being with my husband when I apply in person (because you can't do it in the mail - go figure).

Apparently if you've been married for 5+ years to a Brazilian then you only need to wait 5 business days to get the permanent visa; otherwise they have to wait on authorization from Brazil. The person who responded to my last e-mail told me that and their English was the best. I'd read this on a forum recently as well so it was nice to hear it from the consulate.

Maybe I'm just overwhelmed with work and graduate school and years of the U.S. immigration process as my husband went through it all here. I know I'm nervous about doing everything right and making sure we follow the steps and all that this entails....I guess it's just taking it's toll on me. I'm tired and can't wait until this is over. On a good note, however, I must have done a stellar job when I sent off for my husband's new passport because it took less than 2 weeks to get it back.

I just hope that my visa process goes as smoothly. I only have so many personal days that I can use at work so I can't miss a day unless it's for something productive that cannot be done via the phone, the Internet, or through the mail.