Still waiting for our pensioner's visas

[JACQUELINE SARIO]

WE hired a very popular visa processing service to help us get our pensioner’s visas while we’re still in the U.S. We sent them the last of our paperwork, the FBI background check, in mid January. The last time we contacted that business was near the end of April. They thought we should get our visas in another 6-8 weeks. It’s now almost 8 weeks and we still haven’t heard anything.

We’ve also been in touch with a person who owns a very popular shipping container business. He is very nice and checks in with us occasionally on our visa progress. He was wondering why we haven’t gotten our visas yet but also feels that the business we hired has been doing everything correctly. Has anybody heard about others in our situation? Would it have been better if we flew to Ecuador and lived there for 6-8 weeks to get our pensioner’s visas personally? We couldn’t afford to fly to Ecuador, maintain two households, then fly back to pack the container so we took this route instead. Rats. Very frustrating.

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

I’m sorry to hear that you’re still waiting on your visas. Sometimes things get bogged down in the bureaucratic offices here in Ecuador and it slows everything down. I would suggest waiting another week or so and then asking your facilitator to get in touch with someone at the immigration department to see if they can tell you what the hold up is.

[JACQUELINE SARIO]

Well, rats. I was planning on doing what you suggested anyway, like I did twice before, each time we passed a deadline. I was wondering if there’s a difference in the visa experience between people who actually lived in Ecuador for a couple of months physically present for their visa process, compared to people like us who are getting visas while still in the U.S., especially in the past few months.

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

My understanding is that it doesn’t really matter if you submit your paperwork while you are living in the U.S. or if you do it after you arrive in Ecuador. The paperwork is treated the same and neither one gets preferential treatment.

If I were you I would start contacting my facilitator every day or every other day asking for an update. In my experience being a squeaky wheel pays off here as long as you are professional and polite while doing it. It just needs to be clear that you are on top of things and you don’t want your paperwork to slip through the cracks.

[RICHARD MACATEE]

More than 5 months and you are still without the Visa! Is this normal? Whàt do you think Country Experts?

[COUNTRY EXPERT – WENDY DECHAMBEAU]

Five months seems longer than normal unless there is a hiccup with the paperwork. But it doesn’t sound like there has been any indication that anything is out of order. That’s why I suggested she continue to contact her facilitator daily in a polite yet firm way requesting status updates. Someone should be checking with the immigration department to see what’s holding this up.

[JACQUELINE SARIO]

Thank you for your suggestion, Wendy. Yesterday was the deadline for waiting additional 8 weeks. I’ll give it another week and then start contacting the facilitator’s office again. They respond very quickly, usually within a day or two. If they respond with another “Everything has been filed and there’s nothing more we can do,” I think I’ll call a friend’s daughter who works for the state department and see if she can give me a name of someone at the Ecuadorian consulate. Maybe offering assistance to the facilitator in that way might get things moving. The container guy thought contacting the state department might make people mad and slow things down even further. What do you guys think?

[RICHARD MACATEE]

Did you get them yet?

[DONA DEES]

Since this seems to be taking a long time and we may be looking for a facilitator, can you tell me who you use Do?

[SUZAN HASKINS]

Where in Ecuador are you planning to live? Sometimes it’s easiest to hire a facilitator or attorney in that area. Let us know and we’ll offer some suggestions.

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