Battle with visa
In my next life I want to work for the Italian embassy. The opening hours are Mon, Wed and Fri 9.30 - 11.30 am and Tue & Thur 2 - 3.30 pm. When you call them during opening hrs they put u on hold forever or sullenly ''answer'' your queries or refer you to their website full of ambiguity. And when you sent them email enquiry as invited by the website, they do not reply. It's really la dolce vita - sweet easy life.
This morning I went to the embassy armed with a dossier of documentation of my life history - my parent's name, my bank account statement, my health insurance, my air tickets and accommodation confirmation, my employment letter and company insurance, letter fr the Uni, letter of undertaking to say I wd purchase ''Italy-valid health insurance'' (of more than 60K euro... as stated in their pre recorded message when I rang), various photocopies of stuff etc etc.....
The woman at the counter meticulously checked every document and gave me a contemptuous look, asking - ''where is your original letter from the Uni? '' I thought the instruction was to give PHOTOCOPIES - but she insisted on original. Oh well.
After that she looked at my letter fr HR - it simply stated that I am under the employment of Gemplus, as Comms Mgr, since 23 May 2001. She was not satisfied. ''Are you so you are still employed there?'' I told her yes, it stated ''Janet Loh is employed as ... since... and here is the company's insurance letter to prove it...''
She retorted, ''the letter should have said that you are under the employment but will come back in a month's time to continue to work for them as you are away for a mth to study....and are you sure this company insurance is valid worldwide?'' Oh please!!!!!!! and of course the insurance is for worldwide - I need to travel for work and once even had to be hospitalised in Sydney while there for a stupid convention!!!!
And then she took away the doc, to return with a stamp on the original letter fr the Uni. It seems I needed this precious stamp to get another permission to stay fr the police station upon arrival in Italy. The previous scholarship awardee told me that I need the stamp on my health insurance but somehow she stamped it on the letter. When I asked if it's the same stamp that I wd need to obtain for my health insurance and showed her the instruction sheet given by the Uni, she showed it to an Italian colleague who curtly said, ''for this you need to go to the police station.'' Talk abt ''diplomacy'' and helpfulness!
I don't understand. Italy is not doing well economically at well. A teacher's pay is no more than 1K euro a month and many are unemployed. True, tourists flock there for a piece of ''romantic'' Italy but shouldn't they buck up their service image to boost even more tourism? I know they are weary of Eastern European chicks trying to go there to be prostitutes (a real problem in most parts of Western Europe anyway) but that does not mean you need to be unhelpful in general.
I looked around me and I was not the only one flustered. An Indian guy tried to get a visa for a biz trip and he was so ''subservient'' and ultra polite, hoping to get his application approved speedily. ''Can I try my luck and come back tomorrow?'' he asked meekly... Another guy tried to apply for a visa for his maid and they made him run round the bush with all sorts of unheard documentation which baffled him. But he sounded equally deferential, acquiescent, docile, compliant and submissive it's almost disgusting. ''Sorry - I am really new to this and need all your guidance and help, don't mean to ask so much....OK - I will rush to the maid's embassy now and get it now - what time do you close?'' I am sure he was just trying to swallow his pride - all for the sake of a visa and not to antagonise the powerful officer.
I must be the only brave one who dared to look at them squarely and talked back.
I shall wait and see if I dare do that at the police station when I get there - in my humble Italian.....
This morning I went to the embassy armed with a dossier of documentation of my life history - my parent's name, my bank account statement, my health insurance, my air tickets and accommodation confirmation, my employment letter and company insurance, letter fr the Uni, letter of undertaking to say I wd purchase ''Italy-valid health insurance'' (of more than 60K euro... as stated in their pre recorded message when I rang), various photocopies of stuff etc etc.....
The woman at the counter meticulously checked every document and gave me a contemptuous look, asking - ''where is your original letter from the Uni? '' I thought the instruction was to give PHOTOCOPIES - but she insisted on original. Oh well.
After that she looked at my letter fr HR - it simply stated that I am under the employment of Gemplus, as Comms Mgr, since 23 May 2001. She was not satisfied. ''Are you so you are still employed there?'' I told her yes, it stated ''Janet Loh is employed as ... since... and here is the company's insurance letter to prove it...''
She retorted, ''the letter should have said that you are under the employment but will come back in a month's time to continue to work for them as you are away for a mth to study....and are you sure this company insurance is valid worldwide?'' Oh please!!!!!!! and of course the insurance is for worldwide - I need to travel for work and once even had to be hospitalised in Sydney while there for a stupid convention!!!!
And then she took away the doc, to return with a stamp on the original letter fr the Uni. It seems I needed this precious stamp to get another permission to stay fr the police station upon arrival in Italy. The previous scholarship awardee told me that I need the stamp on my health insurance but somehow she stamped it on the letter. When I asked if it's the same stamp that I wd need to obtain for my health insurance and showed her the instruction sheet given by the Uni, she showed it to an Italian colleague who curtly said, ''for this you need to go to the police station.'' Talk abt ''diplomacy'' and helpfulness!
I don't understand. Italy is not doing well economically at well. A teacher's pay is no more than 1K euro a month and many are unemployed. True, tourists flock there for a piece of ''romantic'' Italy but shouldn't they buck up their service image to boost even more tourism? I know they are weary of Eastern European chicks trying to go there to be prostitutes (a real problem in most parts of Western Europe anyway) but that does not mean you need to be unhelpful in general.
I looked around me and I was not the only one flustered. An Indian guy tried to get a visa for a biz trip and he was so ''subservient'' and ultra polite, hoping to get his application approved speedily. ''Can I try my luck and come back tomorrow?'' he asked meekly... Another guy tried to apply for a visa for his maid and they made him run round the bush with all sorts of unheard documentation which baffled him. But he sounded equally deferential, acquiescent, docile, compliant and submissive it's almost disgusting. ''Sorry - I am really new to this and need all your guidance and help, don't mean to ask so much....OK - I will rush to the maid's embassy now and get it now - what time do you close?'' I am sure he was just trying to swallow his pride - all for the sake of a visa and not to antagonise the powerful officer.
I must be the only brave one who dared to look at them squarely and talked back.
I shall wait and see if I dare do that at the police station when I get there - in my humble Italian.....
posted by "Jenny" at 1:19 AM
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