The Visa Black Hole - pt. 2

***So just the other day, I posted about our original plan regarding visas. Due to some delay on my part, the post didn't go live until just the other day, but that was our plan back in the beginning of January. There have been several changes in Ecuadorian immigration policy since then, so we've had to change a couple of things around.***

                                                      

                                         In which, we Change Our Minds

So here's the dealio - we've been working with Sara Chacas at Ecuador Visas in regards to any and all things visa related. She's a lawyer based in Cuenca and she has been invaluable to us. Seriously, she answers all of my questions in a very timely manner, and she's been very upfront about timelines, costs and the expected 'hassle' factor of things. She also gives me several options for every choice, which I really, really like. Options make me happy.

Sara sent me an email at the end of January with some interesting info that had just been handed down from the Immigration Ministry, which basically said that effective immediately, the Ministry was eliminating one of the tourist visas, the 12-X visa. This was the 90-day visa we were planning on applying for to finish out a full year in Ecuador. 

After much hurly-burly and hullabaloo, the Ministry actually rescinded that ban on the 12-X visa the very next day. However, the restrictions have been tightened immensely, which effectively still keeps it out of reach for us.

This caused some concern on our part - how were we going to ensure we could stay for a full year? There was always the option of just staying after our last visa ran out, and then, upon leaving the country, taking whatever consequence was handed out (typically a ban on travelling back to Ecuador for a certain period of time). That was do-able, but we want to go by the book as much as possible. Plus, we wanted to keep our options (see?) open if we decide we want to stay longer or return after our initial 1 year adventure.

Enter a 3rd option (remember how I said how I love options?) and that is the 12-V visa, aka, the Student visa. 

This visa actually has several benefits. 1) It's cheaper. BY FAR. And, we only have to pay the full visa cost for 1 person (John) and I can come in as his dependent. 2) It would actually allow us to stay in the country for up to 2 years if we wanted, which takes a lot of the short-term visa hassle out of the equation. 3) It means John actually has to take Spanish courses, which is what he was planning on doing anyway, so it's like killing 2 birds with 1 stone. 

I'm not entirely sure why we didn't consider this option before, but sometimes you have to be hit over the head with the obvious before it become...well, obvious. At least, that's the case for me. 

So now the plan is to enter on our T-3 visa (the one everyone gets for free whenever you come to the country) and then find an approved school we can take courses at, apply, and then complete the visa process within the balance of our allotted time on the T-3 (roughly 10 weeks). Fingers crossed it turns out well. I've already asked several of our friends in Ambato if they can recommend a particular program or course of study to us, so hopefully that will be the easiest part of what seems to be a relatively easy process. I'm kind of waiting for life to turn around and punch me in the teeth and then kick me on the ground and I'll realize that it was NOT an easy process. 

Here's hoping I can manage to keep my teeth cause I don't feel like dealing with dental issues in a foreign country.