Temporary Residency - Part 3

Well, Friday morning we were up with the dawn to go wait in line. We've been warned to bring warm clothes as we may actually be waiting OUTSIDE (it's only -25F, so no big deal).

So prepared, we head to the OVIR's office to try and secure our talonchik, or coupon for an interview for temporary residency. Our documents aren't translated yet, but we're told you don't need them to get your coupon.

We arrive at the OVIR building and are pleased that the line still appears to be inside the building. We ascend to the second floor and discover we're SECOND and THIRD in line! We immediately panic and begin to worry that they are not accepting supplicants. They are.... we think, "strange... everyone told us to come very early."

Others continue to arrive after us and ask the standard question, "who is last in line." Until some young men arrive and stand directly in front of the door. After some time of allowing frustration to build, I suggest, "there is a line."

The respond, "for us, there is no line."

Um... anger... frustration... confusion... desire to know how the system really works. So, I stand up and move into the second position in line and wait (really rather patiently) the last hour until the office opens.

The door opens! A man comes out. He tells all of us to put our folders with all of our documents on the table for review.

WHAT?! We don't have our documents translated, we're just here for our coupon for an interview at a later date! What do we do?! I open my backpack, pull out the copies of all of our documents (in English) and hand them to the man.

He walks away and closes the door, with our hopes in his hands and our passports. I think, "should I have given him our passports?"

We wait for about 15-20 minutes and he comes out and starts calling names. The man in front of us is called, but we are not. He gives them folders. We don't get a folder... Then we realize that those with folders are angry and asking questions like, "why won't they accept my folder." The answer is, "I don't know why they didn't take your folder."

So we think... maybe we're still in the clear.

Did we mention, they only review folders for an hour 4 days a week?

With only 10 minutes left of the hour, our names are called. We go into a small office and are told that our documents look to be in order, that we should bring proper translations next time and that our interview is set for March 19.

Our special coupon? The golden ticket as it were? A pink post-it note with the times 9:00, 10:00 19/3/2010 and Room 218 written on it.

I think, "that's it?"

That's it! We got an interview! Others in the line have been 10-12 times trying to secure an interview. We know an administrative miracle has occurred and we are THANKFUL.