My Student Visa

Last week I went down to New York City with my mom to apply for my student visa. We get to the visa office early to confirm its location and make sure we were in the right area. Once we found the visa office we checked our maps to see where we were and what we could do in the city before my appointment. We were only two blocks from Central Park so we walked over there and found a nice little place to rest our feet and get something to drink. Once rested we headed back to the park entrance. After checking the time, we still had plenty of time so we waited some more on a central park bench. When the time was right we walked back to the visa office and arrived outside the door around 11:10. On the email they sent to me it said only the applicant can go to the appointment and one should arrive 15 minutes early to go through security. We were there promptly and I rang the buzzer. A man came out and asked for my name and information. I told him I had an 11:30 appointment, but he simply gave me a paper with the order my documents needed to be in and said he would let me in at exactly 11:30.

We were not allowed into the visa office so my mom and I were on 69th street with all my paperwork looking for a spot to sort them. I found this little post outside another building and set to work there. Luckily it was not too windy so my very important paperwork did not fly away. We went to work and soon the papers were all organized. When I first made my appointment I printed out the student visa web page with all the documents needed to apply for the visa. I brought the paper with me and as my mom and I were checking off the paperwork with the list from the web site. I had ever document they listed on the web site and I was ready to get my visa!

11:30 comes and the man comes back to the door and takes me inside. The door leads into an enclosed ally way. I walk down the stairs and there is this little security check point where the man goes, takes my passport and enters my information. He gives me a pass, returns my passport and gives me the okay to go inside. The first door is rather heavy for the look and size of the door; you could tell the door was bullet proof. From the doors I walked into this dark, depressing feeling room. There were three rows of six chairs. The chairs were all connected and like sets at a baseball game, but smaller and farther apart. In front of the room were three teller windows (also bullet proof), but in front of the windows where the visa workers were they had placed partitions. While I waited (for a little over an hour) there was nothing in the room to look at. The walls were bare, the room echoed and I could do was think to worse.

Finally my name was called so I walked up to window number two and faced my nightmare. The women takes my application, looks at my passports, then she heads to a bulletin board and takes a packet. She searches for my name and says, "I am sorry I don't think I can accept your application, your name is not on the list." NOT ON THE LIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY NAME IS NOT ON THE LIST!!!!!!!! I had no idea what to think when she said that. She talked with another women then she checked another list and found me. She then tells me my parents need to be there because I am a minor so I run out and get my mom who was waiting outside on 69th street for an hour and take her in with me. The security guard had to check her id and enter her into the system. We get in there and the women asks for my dad, who was not there because we did not know he needed to be there too. Then she goes on saying we do not have enough money to send me to Italy!!! They were asking for 30 euros a day, which is a lot for a high school student who does not spend that much money normally everyday, the 30 Euro a day equals out to about 10,000 euro for my entire year which is a lot, A LOT, of money!! She then recalculated it and I was fine, but I was still missing several papers. If you know me you know that I would not have gone down there unless I had all my paperwork copied at least twice! The paperwork I was missing was not on the web site so I had no idea I needed it. Once they women gave us a paper saying we could come back again and a list of everything I needed my mom and I left to office and once we were outside I stared to cry, again. The whole thing was very stressful, scary and just a terrible experience. We went back to Grand Central and took the next train home.

Once we were home I gathered up the paperwork I needed and headed to the bank to get everything notarized! And I mean EVERYTHING!!! The next day, Thursday, my mom and I went back down to the visa office and we arrived around 8:45. I needed to be there between 9 and 10 to deal with my missing paperwork. Some of the same people who were there yesterday were there again with their missing paperwork. The security guard came out and called us in with our receipts we got yesterday. My mom had to come with my because I am a minor and I needed her so I had to wait till everyone was already in the room so the man could check her passport into the computer. We waited some more and they called my name once again. We walked up with our folder with everything they asked for. She started asking for paperwork and my mom just keep pulling them out one after another and the women was so happy we had everything notarized and organized. We had everything and the greatest thing I heard that day was when she said, "You can come back Thursday the 9th between 2 and 3:30." I left the visa office much happier that day.

I went back down on the 9th, early again and waited in line to get into the visa office. When 2pm came the security guard came out took us down and we had to wait again for him to put my moms passport into the computer. We get in, sit down and wait about 10 minutes. They call my name, we walk to window number three, and he handed me back my passport and with my visa inside. We walked out and there is nothing holding me back from going to Italy now!!!!

Sorry for the long post, but they were long trips and an experience I do not want to have again anytime soon.