Visa Time!

Well, with my US Visa up for renewal in February I went through the most amazing amount of online registration formality to renew my US Visa. filled out the online forms multiple times because the system kept freezing up, and some 20 pages later it had finally accepted my Visa renewal application.

This is where it starts.

That was back in early February and as it is now the middle of April we are in a bit of a panic (should we be, or are we just being overly worried?). Now all details on the web about a US visa says DO NOT CALL, so we havent, being good people. Then Cath got a hold of the US number for the US Department of state that handles the Visa apps' and called, and was told that only 'I' can talk to them being the applicant. So, after messing with time zones for a week or so, I got up early today to call and talk to some one about my renewal application. Went through all the recordings and button pressing for the 6th or so time, and finally got put on hold to wait in a queue that was said to be 5 minutes long, which turned out to be 15.

Got hold of a lady and gave her my passport number and she then went off to look up the application, the response - "we have nothing in the system for you, sir!, there is no application".

What? Wait! What?

Fearing I would have to start again, I started to question the process and how it all goes - and the lady in Washington was getting snippity with me. I maintained pure courtesy the whole time, of course.

The end result? So remember all the info I mentioned above about DO NOT CALL, well the system actually says we will get a letter in regards to our appointment time in the mail to visit to US Consulate in Sydney, well, apparently not going by the lady in the US state Department. The lady on the phone at the US State Department informed me that WE need to CALL to US Consulate in Sydney to make an appointment for an interview. Seriously, that is what she said. So we shall do that and call today for a scheduled 'interview'. Who wouldve thought a simple VISA renewal would be this hard.

Updates soon.