The visa saga<\/p>\n
I read complaints about the Australian Embassy's visa section
\nin the readers' letters and can feel the frustration of the
\nwriters. I had such an experience with the American Embassy and
\nwas outraged. It seems to be the attitude of embassy officers
\nthese days to suspect every Indonesian as a \"risk\", who wants to
\nenter their country and cheat on immigration rules. What irks me
\nmost is that the information we are asked on the telephone is
\nmisleading and gives the wrong facts, thus luring you into the
\ntrap where you lose your money.<\/p>\n
I called the American Embassy three times to get confirmation
\nabout the requirements for my son's maid to go to the States. My
\nson has two small children and works in the States. His wife just
\nhad a miscarriage because of a heart condition and too much
\nstress without a helper in the family. On the third call, I was
\ntold by the embassy personnel to bring my bank statement and that
\nI would be the sponsor of the maid, not my son, who had sent all
\nthe previously requested documents -- his American immigration
\npapers, a personal guarantee letter that the maid would return to
\nIndonesia, salary confirmation of his work place, passport
\ncopies. There also would be an interview for the maid. All good
\nand well; I was sure to get the visa for the maid, because I had
\nall the required documents and guarantees.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 11, 1999, the maid and I went to the embassy. I had to
\npay Rp 450,000 (which is no small amount in Indonesia), got the
\nvisa forms and filled them in. We had to wait several hours. When
\ncalled finally, the officer told us, point-blank, that there was
\nno way a visa could be given to the maid. Nothing I said made a
\ndifference! All the requested documents are good for nothing.
\nSo, in my opinion, this is a deliberate action to get the
\napplicants' money and dump the applicants on principle. I feel
\nthis is outright deceit. One pays for merchandise -- a visa. But
\nif there is no merchandise, then one should not pay. So the
\nembassy should return that money when they do not want to give a
\nvisa. When I made this point in front of the counter, I was
\nshooed away: \"You cannot bother everyone with your problem! the
\nmoney is non-refundable, as you know! Your son should get a maid
\nin the States.\" Everybody knows that no American or Latino or
\nChinese or any other nationality can fit into an Indonesian
\nhousehold with small children. It is impossible because of the
\ndifferent mentalities.<\/p>\n
When I left the embassy, a woman, who I had seen in the
\nembassy, was waiting under some trees. She asked me about my
\n\"success\". She told me that this was the fourth time she had
\napplied for a visa and been refused! The reasons were unclear to
\nher. She said that her husband works in the States and she has
\nguarantee letters, but she can not get a visa. This woman had
\napplied for a visa when the price was Rp 650,000, Rp 350,000 and
\non that day Rp 450,000, and she will apply again, she said, to
\njoin her husband. I feel pity for her.
\nThe millions she paid for nothing! She will surely be applying
\nfor a visa only to be refused again.<\/p>\n
MRS. SUHARTO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-visa-saga-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }