Visa Mailed

My visa is finally mailed. And what an interesting process that was.

Initially I thought that by filling out the online application, I was filling out the application. Turns out I was wrong; it's a 3-part process. The first part is filling out an application online, the last couple steps of which involve booking an in-person appointment and printing off a copy of the online application. The two closest sites for the in-person part of the application process were Sacramento and Modesto. I chose Modesto, thinking it might be less busy, although it seemed weird to me that the office would be in a shopping center. Because the U.K. is 8 hours ahead of where I live, I was unable to sign up for an appointment for next day (because in U.K. time it was already the next day when I was looking at appointments), so I had to book my appointment for after the 4-day weekend. The only time available was 1pm--right in the middle of my workday, meaning I had to take the day off of work.

The site U.K. application site sent me three confirmation emails. I printed them all, and brought my entire folder of YWAM and visa application documentation with me, just in case, along with my passport. But when I got there, the man at the front desk informed me that none of the emails were the right proof of confirmation. I asked him if there were any internet cafes nearby, and he sent us to this random wannabe-FedEx mailing shop around the corner that had a couple copy machines. My mom and I thought for sure that we were in the wrong place. But when asked, the shopkeepers indicated a computer just behind the counter that we could pay to use, and pay to print from. Trying to navigate my way around Windows 8 for the first time was interesting, but I managed to print my one page without any significant complications. I am so glad that we got to the in-person visa site early, because I finished printing in time for my appointment.

The appointment itself was uneventful. The new paper (which I had to retrieve in a roundabout way from the U.K. visa application site) was the right one. The electronic fingerprinting and picture-taking only took about 10 minutes total. After that my mom and I had time to relax and try out a nearby cafe. But I was uneasy, because I had not been given a copy of my photo, and the printed copy of my visa application required a photo...which meant I still needed a passport photo to submit with it. I already had a passport photo, but it did not meet the U.K. visa guidelines, so I needed another one. We found AAA, and I got my photos.

But two things went wrong. The first was that I forgot that although I had cancelled one job for that day, I had not cancelled the other. Once I realized that, I was in a mad rush to get back to Lodi. I was half an hour late.
The other problem was that I did not discriminate enough between my passport photo and the U.K. site-provided examples. My passport photo was potentially not zoomed in enough, and it was not cut to the right size. I had to use a paper cutter at my work, hoping that the consulate will accept it. And then I realized that the photo would not be the same one I had sent to YWAM for their part of the visa. I enclosed a copy of both photos when I mailed in my visa application. Hopefully this will not cause a problem.

Mailing my passport in with my application is nerve-wracking. I had to enclose a prepaid envelope for them to mail it back to me. Please pray that my visa will arrive safely, be picked up by the right person, will process quickly, be approved, and mailed back to me safely (and in time for me to make arrangements with YWAM).