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After much hurly-burly and hullabaloo, the Ministry actually rescinded that ban on the 12-X visa the very next day.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.

Cleaning Up and Getting Gone

In which, we make a Final Decision

So, I have a confession to make - I actually had the Visa post written in January, but I forgot about it and just 'found' it again when I came to write this post so...you get a couple posts in succession! Also, due to some recent changes on the Ecuadorian  side, we've changed our minds (again) on how we're going to be handling that situation, so I'll be writing another post on visas in the very near future.

Anyway, onto the more important and INFINITELY more exciting news - we bought our tickets to Ecuador!!

We will officially be leaving Wednesday, March 25 from Atlanta at 5:50pm. We are so excited, especially me. It feels real now, you know? Like, it's not as if we weren't going to go, but having the tickets in hand (or at least, in electronic format) just takes it to that next level of reality. It's really on the books. It's really happening. I really have to make a concerted effort to get my house cleaned up and cleared out. Oy vey.

As I'm sure some of you will be curious about, we also got Jethro booked on our flight! Needless to say, I am so completely relieved to have that worry off my back. We ended up taking him to Petsmart to do an absolute, final double check on the crate-sizing issue. Wonder of wonders, he ended up fitting appropriately into the 2nd largest crate, which made him eligible to be shipped as baggage, rather than cargo. I might have done a crazy-happy dance in the middle of the store that had both Jethro and my husband acting like they didn't know me...

Ahem.

Jethro 'enjoying' his new crate

Anyway. We will be flying with Delta again, on a direct flight from Atlanta to Quito. When I called to ask them about shipping Jethro, they allayed all of my fears. Yes, we can book him now and guarantee him a spot. Yes, the plane can accommodate his crate size as checked baggage. No, he will not get bumped if the plane gets too full; basically, if we fly, he flies. Yes, we can pay the $200 crate-based shipping fee rather than the $2500 cargo rate. That last one especially made me ecstatic.

Torn apart music room

In other news, we have started clearing out the house, but it's been in fits and bursts. Our bonus room is pretty much done and I've started tearing apart our music room as well. Mainly it's just a matter of organizing what's in there, then relegating everything to its appropriate pile - store, donate/sell, throw away.

As you can see, it's a bit of a mess right now, but it's nothing a couple of hours and a few trash bags can't fix. My  mom graciously (!!) left me a ginormous box full of odds and ends encompassing my entire life as well as portions of my sisters'. Some of it has been really fun to go through and see, while other stuff is headed straight for the donate/trash bin. Sorry, Mom! I'll keep the important stuff, like these.

Sweet baby Nikes. circa 1987

The plan is to have our house available to rent for the beginning of April. We'll be putting it on the market in just a few weeks, so if you know of a couple or small family looking for a low-maintenance house for a year, send them our way. I'll be sure to post a link to the listing once it gets put up.

That box was FULL o' baby stuff

So there you have it. March 25th is the drop-dead date. Several people have asked if we're having a going-away party. We are not officially planning anything, but we'd love to see all of you guys! If you want to hang out, hit us up! The last week before take-off is sure to be a cluster, but we'll be happy to squeeze any and all available fun out of the time before we leave.

That being said...the sooner the better, y'all. Hop to it!

The Black Hole that is...Visas

Visas. Never have there been so many questions about any topic than how to get into a country (legally), how to stay in said country (also legally), and what the rules and regulations are governing your movements in and around the country once you obtain the ability to stay (hopefully legally).

I don't have all the answers. In fact, I have very few answers so please don't look to me for advice. All I'm going to be doing here is telling you what our plan is and how we came to make that our plan. This is subject to change, of course, and we will definitely keep you appraised of the process as we go along. So let's get to it.

First off - you don't need to apply for a visa prior to entering Ecuador. The country has a lovely 'open door' policy for pretty much everyone, save a few countries (I'm looking at you, Pakistan).

When coming through Immigration you will receive what's called a T-3 visa that's good for 90 days in a chronological year. You don't pay or do anything except fill out the paperwork they hand you on the plane, then hand it to the lovely people in Immigration while they ask you if you've been to Ecuador before and how long you plan to stay. After inputting the information into their computers, they smile at you and say, 'Bienvenido a Ecuador!' and you go on through. You now have 90 days (3 months) in the country.

There are two other visas that we're planning on applying for to ensure a full year's stay. A 12-9 visa is good for 6 months and a 12-10 visa is good for another 90 days.

All three of these visas are considered 'non-immigrant' visas. If we wanted to stay permanently in the country, we'd have to apply for an immigrant visa on the grounds of retirement, professional ability or investment. We had considered going the professional visa route, but Ecuador places some restrictions on travel after receiving an immigrant visa and we ultimately decided that we only want to commit ourselves for a year at this point.

So right now, I'm thinking that we will apply for the 12-9 visa to start off our sojourn. Apparently you can do all the paperwork and legwork before ever leaving the States and simply arrive in the country with the visa in hand, therefore bypassing the need for the T-3 at the get-go.

Originally we were considering doing the T-3, then the 12-9, then the 12-10. Then, one of John's best friends got engaged over the holidays (congrats, Will and Amanda!!) and it's looking like their wedding will be in October of 2015. Since we're planning to arrive at the end of March/beginning of April, that puts the wedding roughly six months out from our arrival in Ecuador. Since the 12-9 is good for 6 months, it seems like it would be easier to start with that, then take a trip out of the country once it expires, then return on either the T-3 or 12-10.

This is all subject to change, but that's my thought process so far. If you have any questions or advice, I'd love to hear it!