Busy busy busy busy bee

I really enjoy blogging (although if you had asked me 1-2 years ago I would have adamantly answered "No way" to just the idea of creating a blog). However, I've really enjoyed these past few months of blogging ,and have just been so busy over the past week that I haven't been able to find the time, or energy, to focus on doing so. And I've missed it.

The real reason why I haven't written anything is probably because I'm tired of reading, studying, and writing for grad school, that I didn't have the strength to do it for fun here.

I even fell a bit behind at work, and just this morning made time to catch up. Graduate school and a full time teaching job (in a tough public school) would wipe anyone out. Even the strongest and most resilient of us.

As for everything and anything Brazil related, I have been working on that. I still need to pick up my visa from the consulate, but am working on figuring out a date to go sometime this month. I don't want to wait too long; plus, I'll feel better once the visa is in my passport.

As I noted last week, I have found the office where we can apply for our International Driver's Permits and I checked on the status of my CPF (the equivalency of our SSN?). Glad to say that my CPF is "regular" so no problems with that. I have also been made aware of how to change my surname on my CPF in Brazil, and how to register our marriage once we get there. Check. Check.

I have also organized some boxes (for the day when I eventually go to the post office to request about media mail), threw away more unwanted papers, and donated books and clothes. I've also contacted the interested buyers that have shown interest in one of our household items that I've advertised for on-line. I want to sell those so I can see more of what we're taking.

We've also been making decisions on banking options here and in Brazil. I'm grateful to my mom for allowing us to forward our mail to her and helping us out with the bank situation in the U.S.

And of course, we need to plan ahead on what needs to be taken care of once we arrive in Brasilia so we don't get too caught up in our move/arrival and forget the important details.

Some things to think of when you move to Brazil. This list refers to what I need to get done, but could be helpful to others:

1. As mentioned previously, register with the closest embassy/consulate. In our case, that'd be the American embassy in Brasilia. On a side note, I wonder if any of my students will be children of diplomats?

2. Register our marriage in Brazil

3. Change my name on my CPF

3. Visit the Federal Police in order to get my Brazilian identification (which I know could take months). It took me 4 months last time I lived in Brazil

4. Find a dentist. I have visited a dentist here and have made appointments for a cleaning and such, but I don't have much time left, and my dental insurance is not all that good, so some things will have to wait for Brazil. Plus, E wants to get braces

5. Take care of E's documents. Not sure where to start with this (but I'm sure E will). I mean, he hasn't lived in Brazil for more than 4 years and he's moving to a new state. Will he need a new national ID? That's the kind of stuff to take care of

I could add on to this list. I mean, I'll need to find a local, good salon where I can get my manicures and pedicures :)...etc etc. I'd say, though, that the above list is a good place to start. I know that my future employer will help us out, and of course we'll do a lot of exploring on our own (with the help of the Brazilians that we know who are living in Brasilia).

Sounds like a lot of work, and it'll keep us busy busy as bees, but it's an adventure and that's what I love most.

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.

------------

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

Permanent Visa for Brazil

UPDATED: The information provided here is to inform those persons interested in obtaining the permanent visa (permanent residency) to live in Brazil.

I will be applying for the visa based on my marriage to a Brazilian citizen, but I do have a job offer as well.

KEEP in mind that although most of the information provided here is correct, it is NOT written in a logical, clear way, nor does it explain what you will really need the day you go to the consulate to apply for the visa. It is also from Miami and answers may vary depending on which consulate you visit.

TO REQUEST THE AUTHORIZATION FOR A PERMANENT VISA THE APPLICANT MUST COME IN PERSON.

 This visa may be issued to: 

• those who have previous authorization from the Ministry of External Relations, requested by the employer, presenting contract of work approved by the Ministry of Labor in Brazil;
   
• Those who are professors, scientists, high level researchers who intend to work in public or private entities related to high studies, scientific and technological research. This visa is issued for those who intend to stay longer than 2 years. If you are not staying in Brazil for more than 2 years, you may qualify for a Temporary Visa V. Attention: Your Company must apply for your visa directly with the Ministry of Labor in Brazil. As soon as we receive the formal letter from Brazil, you will have to come in person to get your visa;
   
• Those who have had Permanent residency in Brazil but stayed abroad for a period of 2 or more years uninterruptedly for the following reasons: complete studies of graduation or higher, professional training or research activities accredited by the Ministry of Science and Technology. You may submit your petition directly to the Consulate;
• 
  Those who are traveling to Brazil as investor, administrator or Director of a Company located in the Zona de Processamento de Exportação – ZPE. This visa must be requested by the Company directly with the Ministry of Labor in Brazil. As soon as we receive the formal letter from the Brazilian Government, you will have to come in person to get your visa;
   
• Those who show proof of financial means to promote a direct investment in Brazil for an approximately amount of R$ 150.000,00 – Brazilian Reais. The exact amount is determined by the Ministry of Labor/National Immigration Council. The petition must be submitted by the Brazilian Company directly to the Ministry of Labor in Brazil;
   
• Those who are retired persons whose pension (minimum of US $2,000.00 per month for the principal applicant and two dependants) can be regularly transferred to Brazil. In case of more than two dependants, it is mandatory to transfer to Brazil the extra amount of US$ 1,000.00 per person;
   
• Those who are members of the clergy and belong to a religious order or congregation established in Brazil;
   
• Those who are  relatives of a Brazilian citizen or alien permanent resident in Brazil;
   
• Those who are married to a Brazilian citizen or a Permanent Resident;
   
• Those who voluntarily intend to travel to Brazil to held position as director, manager or administrator of religious, social assistance or non governmental organizations. This visa may be issued for a period up to 5 years.

If the information above matches the purpose of your trip to Brazil, you may qualify for a Permanent Visa. Please continue for more information.

INTERNATIONAL VACCINATION

 Yellow fever vaccination is recommended if applicant intends to visit one of the following regions in Brazil: Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Federal District, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins. 

PROCESSING TIME

             In person only: 5 business days after approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS 

      FIRST STEP: 
1)      Proof of residence (income tax, utility bill, Driver’s License etc).  
2)      Original passport; 
3)      Certificate of birth.  
4)      Certificate of marriage (if applicable).  
5)     Police certificate of no criminal record issued within 90 days, for applicants over 16 years old.  
6)      There will be Legalization fees which will be determined at the interview with the Consular Authority.  
In case of petition based on family reunion, the Brazilian party or resident of Brazil must submit: 
1)      “Carteira de Identidade”, passport or RNE if resident; 
2)      Affidavit of financial support (available at the Consulate); 
3)      Judicial authorization and proof of custody (in case of minor son or daughter of divorced parents) 
Petition based on management of religious, social assistance or non governmental organizations must be submitted with: 
1)      Letter of invitation from the Brazilian entity inviting applicant to perform volunteer work in the country; 
2)      Letter from the entity specifying the place and condition of the volunteer work to be performed by the applicant; 
3)      Letter from the Brazilian entity assuming responsibility for all maintenance expenses associated with applicant's stay in Brazil as well as his repatriation to his/her country of origin upon the termination of his work/mission in Brazil; 
4)      Letter from the Brazilian entity assuming full responsibility for all expenses associated with applicant's medical treatment and/or hospitalization in Brazil;
5)      Recent non-criminal record certificate issued by applicant’s local Police Department;
6)      An official document from sponsoring entity in Brazil (such as statute, founding charter, etc.) as well as proof of the entity’s registration with the competent regulatory body (Conselho de Assistência Social Nacional, Estadual, do Distrito Federal ou Municipal); 
7)      Proof that the inviting entity in Brazil is in business and functioning (CNPJ); 
8)      Curriculum Vitae and others documents which proves applicant’s qualification for the position offered; 
9)      Constitutive Act or Social Statute dully registered with the competent regulatory body; 
10)  Prove of registration with the Conselho de Assistência Social, whenever possible, or certificate issued by the Ministry of Justice attesting that the entity qualifies as civil society organization for public service (Organização de Sociedade Civil de Interesse Público). 
Petition based on retirement:
 1)      Certificate issued by official institution attesting to applicant's retirement;  
2)      Documented proof issued by pension provider of monthly pension income of at least US $2,000.00. In case of a third dependent and over, an additional US $1,000.00 per dependent must be accounted for;  
3)      Statement issued by an official organization certifying that pension funds can be transferred to Brazil on a monthly basis.
 SECOND STEP: 
After authorization is received, applicant must present the following documentation: 
1)      Original passport (valid for at least 6 (six) months prior to its expiration date). The passport must have at least 2 (two) blank visa pages; 
2)      One recent individual passport photo, full-frontal, white background; 
3)      One electronic visa application form - click here. Please, make sure to provide full information, even those supposedly not required. If you leave any field blank, we may request you to provide that information what could cause your application to be delayed or even refused. Glue your picture (DO NOT STAPLE IT!) and sign on the appropriate field.

FEE 

• The fee has to be paid by US Postal Money Order OR receipt provided by the ATM machine located at the Consulate's main lobby. The ATM only accepts cash and charges US$ 1.00 for the service.
   
• We do not accept cash, personal check or any other form of payment not listed above.
   

COUNTRY	IN PERSON ONLY
USA	US$ 340.00
All others	US$ 200.00

 Attention: The application must be submitted in person. The US$ 80.00 for legalization of the required documents is not included in the processing visa fee indicated above.

VISA INQUIRIES/INFORMATION

 Email: visa@brazilmiami.org
 We do not provide assistance by phone. 

ADDRESS

 Send your application to: 

                        CONSULATE-GENERAL OF BRAZIL
                        VISA DEPARTMENT
                        80 SW 8^TH STREET, SUITE 2600
                        MIAMI – FL - 33130

Source: Consulate General of Brazil - Miami

No More Chances for Polygamy



Consulado-Geral do Brasil
Consulate General of Brazil



We finally made it to Miami and registered our marriage. 3 years and 8 months after the fact. Our marriage has now been authenticated by the Brazilian consul and will later be legalized at a notary office in Brazil once we arrive there. Because it had not be recognized by the Brazilian consul before today, E was still considered single in Brazil even though he married me in 2007. Now he's married in both countries so there are no more opportunities for him to be a polygamist. Sorry E.

Today's process was relatively quick and painless. We woke up at 5:30 a.m. (that was the painful part), drove 3.5 hours to Miami (and later had to make the trip back), found the consulate AND cheap parking easily, and were attended to without problem once we arrived on the 26th floor where the consulate is located.

I was fully prepared with any document and photocopy that was required and this helped us waste no time. We paid our registration fee and handed in our application and attachments to the consul. After about an hour of waiting, we were asked to look over the information that the consul printed out to register our marriage and I verified that everything was correct. It was - mostly. E's birth date was written as 4/29 instead of the Brazilian (international) way, 29/4 (day/month). I pointed this out to the consul and she made a quick correction and then we waited for our authenticated copy to be written up.

Finally, after about an hour and a half of being at the consulate, we were given our official marriage certificate. Minutes later, however, while in the elevator, E asked to see it and I realized at that time that his birth date had not been corrected. It was still printed as 4/29, even though mine was correct. We went back and pointed out the discrepancy to the consul. Apparently we weren't the only couple that this had happened to so we waited in line (again) for the error to be corrected. Once E's birth date was written in the "correct" manner, we left with our official document and a copy that E made before we left the building.

Overall it was a productive day in Miami. I feel a sense of accomplishment and more confidence as I move forward with the immigration process. I was nervous that we'd be missing something or that we'd be asked to return the following day to pick up our authenticated marriage certificate, but fortunately this was not the case. So.... our next step: E's passport renewal.



Downtown Miami



200 days

So we have about 200 days before we move to Brazil. Even though our departure is months away, I'm trying to feel the excitement of the new opportunities for BOTH of us, of upcoming travel to a city we've never been to, and at the same time, return to a country that we both love.

In short, I have fewer than 200 days to sort, discard, donate, sell, and pack. In a nutshell.

Sounds like a lot of work, but I don't mind any of it, even driving back and forth to Miami in one day so we can finally register our marriage.

Consulate, we're ready for ya....

Phew. I am finally done with compiling our (small) stack of documents and photocopies that we need to take the consulate in order to register our marriage. Of course it was not without help that we were able to do this. Thank you, again, to Zack and Glaucia (and her kids!!!) for taking time out of their day to help us out out by being our witnesses (attesting to the fact that E and I were both single before we got married).

After an enjoyable meetup with Glaucia (the second "witness") and her children this afternoon, we went to my bank (which will remain unnamed since I didn't have an issue with the branch closest to my house when I went to see the notary only two days before) to get Glaucia's signature notarized. The notary we met today refused to notarize her signature since she is not a member of the bank even though I am and I was with her. Really? I explained to him that it was for me (the customer) and that just two days before another notary at another branch of the same bank had just "put it on my account" and not bothered my friend about whether or not he was a customer. The guy told told me that it is not the bank's procedure to notarize the signature of a non-member and sorry he wouldn't do it. Ugh. We then went to my friend's (nearby) bank thinking we would have luck there; however, her bank also refused since the document is in Portuguese and the notary didn't understand what it was she was notarizing. She said the bank would be liable should anything go wrong. Finally, we ended up at a small store around the corner from the bank and there the owner gladly notarized her signature for only $10. Now I have everything that I needed notarized done, so I guess, all well that ends well, right?

E signed his part (which did not have to be notarized, go figure) and I made copies of each document, our passports, our birth certificates, and our marriage certificate.

All done. We're just waiting on E to get his work schedule for next week so we know which day we can make our trip down south. I love progress.

Making Progress

I have now collected almost all of the documents that we need to move forward with registering our marriage, hence moving towards the goal of applying for my permanent residency (spousal visa). Once I filled out the necessary forms, I had to have my signature notarized for the statement that I had never been married to a Brazilian before I married E. We also need two Brazilians to testify that we were both single before we married (though how they would know I have no idea). Apparently the Brazilian consulate takes their citizens' word for it. Anyway, a good friend of ours agreed to be one of the witnesses so we took a trip this morning to the bank to have his signature notarized at the same time that mine was notarized for my letter of never being married to a Brazilian before. I'm grateful that we were never married before because then we would need to show divorce papers and that appears to be a pain in the behind. Like I said before, the consulate is not asking for too much from us, it is just time consuming because we need to rely on others for assistance (for signatures and notiarizations). For more information regarding registering your marriage in the Brazilian Consulate in Miami, you can read about it here. Sorry it's in Portuguese; I couldn't find a translation on their website and it seems that each consulate is unique in what they require for marriage registration so it's not worth it to direct you to another consulate.

Basically, to register our marriage in the consulate in Miami we need (as it applies to our case):

1. The original and copy of our marriage certificate
2. E needs a Brazilian document (like his passport or birth certificate) which has his parents' names on it
3. For E (the Brazilian) - the notarized document that has two signatures from Brazilians confirming he was single before he married me
4. For me (the foreigner) - the original and copy of my passport or my driver's license and the original and copy of my birth certificate; a declaration (letter) that has been notarized confirming that I had never married a Brazilian before
5. The application to register our marriage in the consulate
6. A $20 money order

I am relieved that I can check most of this off of our list as what needs to be completed. Since I am more uptight organized than E, I have taken on this "chore" rather than ask him to do it. Plus, I did all of the immigration paperwork for him to live/work in the U.S. so I feel almost like a pro at this.

Registering our Marriage

I am working on the paperwork to register our marriage with the Brazilian Consulate in Miami. This is the first step to me getting permanent residency in Brazil, so it has to be done now. It's very inexpensive, but it takes some time because we need notarized "testimonies" from Brazilians stating that E was single before he met me, as well as a simple letter written by me that attests to never being married to a Brazilian before. We also need to collect some documents (which we already have) and complete a simple form. As far as the country of Brazil is concerned, E is still single and as a result, we have to register our marriage at the nearest consulate since we were married in the U.S.  It's not too much, just a bit time consuming since we need to count on other people to help us through this stage. I will feel relieved when this is completed and we can then renew E's passport and apply for my residency.

We will probably take a quick trip to Miami sometime next week (after Christmas) to take care of this business.

Destination: Miami

"Welcome to Miami. Bienvenido a Miami." or even better, and as the husband  (E) would appreciate...."I'm in Miami b*&^%."

In order for me to move on with the immigration process of moving to Brazil, we have to register our marriage first (something that I've been meaning to do for years) and then we can proceed with the spousal visa for me. None of this is new to us since we've been through the immigration process with the husband (E) here in the U.S., but now it's my turn. Soooooo, we have to make a visit to the Brazilian consulate in Miami for that.

In addition to registering our marriage, the husband (E) needs to renew his Brazilian passport since it's going to expire in March 2011. Once our marriage is registered with the consulate and the husband's (E's) passport is renewed, we can request the spousal visa.

I feel good about starting all of this as soon as possible because it would make me nervous otherwise. Plus, who wouldn't want to go to Miami during the winter?

Not me. Especially after the col weather we've had in Florida during the month of December.