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7月12日 An Airplane a Day Keeps the Sanity at Bay: Immigration NightmareWednesday morning I flew out to Fukuoka, Japan to have my E2 (working) visa processed. This lengthy process had actually started several weeks earlier while I was still in Newfoundland. There are many steps involved, but once you have been given a confirmation number from immigration in Korea (which I had), you are usually in the clear . . . or so we thought. The immigration laws had just changed in 2008 and I will spare you the dry legal details; however, upon my arrival at the Korean Consulate in Fukuoka I heard the words every expat dreads: “You are not allowed to have a visa.” My heart literally stopped and I stood at the counter dumbfounded for what seemed like an eternity before I was able to speak. The woman at the counter told me I would have to go back to Canada for an interview before I could be issued an E2 visa. There was nothing further that they could do for me in Fukuoka. Everything I owned was in Korea, and I was concerned that if I tried to enter the country again they would just deport me, seeing as it would be illegal for me to work there until all of the red tape had been cleared in Canada.
I trudged out of the consulate, broken and frustrated. I got the subway to my hotel and immediately phoned my boss. This woman amazes me. I have no idea what she had to do to convince immigration to process my visa in Japan, but due to her persistence we were given approval. Unfortunately, I couldn’t have the processing done in Fukuoka. I had to fly out to Osaka as they had more empowerment and connection with immigration in Korea. I had left my laptop behind in Korea as I didn’t want to lug it around Japan with me; luckily the hotel was able to rent one to me for the night for 1,000 yen (approx $10). I booked the earliest flight I could get to Osaka and found a hotel that was near the Korean Consulate for Thursday night. My boss changed my return ticked to Korea for Friday evening. Meanwhile, my parents and everyone at home were sitting on pins and needles. I knew I wouldn’t be able to relax either until I had my visa in hand.
I arrived in Osaka at 8:30am on Thursday and caught the bus to Namba station where the Consulate is located. I got there at 9:20am, 10 minutes before the visa window was due to open. I told the woman at the counter that I had just flew in from Fukuoka, and she stated that she knew who I was and that she had been expecting me. She said that normally I would not be given approval, but as I was already in Korea and I had not been told ahead of time that I needed to be interviewed in Canada, they had agreed to accept my application.
I felt a little more relieved, but I was still slightly apprehensive that something might go wrong. I left the embassy, knowing that everything was out of my hands now, and headed towards my hotel. Don’t ask me how I manage to find my way around these foreign countries where I don’t speak the language. I guess I just have a good sense of direction and no fear. I suppose I’m lucky to have that attitude or I would never have any adventures. Mind you, I’m careful about it; I stick to the main roads and try to stay around large groups of people. I would never go down a dark deserted alley, even if I did have someone with me. Anyway, my hotel was within walking distance of the Consulate and I had no problems finding it. To my delight, it was located just beyond a huge outdoor shopping complex that went on for more than a dozen blocks. Everything in Japan is ridiculously overpriced and as I was in an upscale area of Osaka, this was no exception. I was surrounded by Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Dolce and Gabbana, Starbucks and Excelsior every few feet, Swatch and Sketchers. There were lingerie stores, office supplies, western restaurant chains, sushi bars, casinos . . . you name it, it was there. I even stumbled upon a movie theater, which I decided to take advantage of. I will never complain about the cost of going to see a movie in St. John’s again. I paid 1,800 yen to watch ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’, which is the equivalent of $18 Canadian! After the movie I went back to my hotel and passed out for the night. I was exhausted from all of the immigration drama.
The next day I checked out of my hotel at 10am and headed to Starbucks to kill some time lesson planning while I waited for the time to pick up my visa. I still had this nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach and I wished I could just relax. Fed up with waiting, I decided to go to the Consulate early. I had to queue up there, which wasn’t helping my sanity. Finally my number flashed on the screen and the same woman that I spoke with the day before handed me my passport with visa inside, telling me I was very lucky. I don’t know how long I stood there looking at that visa, absorbing that this piece of precious paper was real. I didn’t walk out of that Consulate, I floated! I’m not sure what the guards thought about the goofy, relieved expression on my face. A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
I’m back in Korea now, legally! The immigration process isn’t quite complete. Next week I need to go for a medical, and once I get the results I have to register at immigration and get my alien registration card and multiple re-entry permit. Life is never boring! 引用通告此日志的引用通告 URL 是： http://mtchurchill.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!C00BC30F2484CFBD!1652.trak 引用此项的网络日志
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