Just to say that I’ve been to the US consulate again yesterday and applied for the visas with the letters from friends in the USA to prove we’d be travelling, as well as proof of financial support, as well as the full flight itinerary. In the finest tradition of bureaucracy, the girl behind the counter told me I really needed more documentation than what I had (to prove we were coming back to Australia) since the ticket itinerary from the travel agent’s was apparently possibly insufficient.

They wanted more proof that we would return, which stunned me. We had submitted our airline ticket itinerary to them when we’d applied, and I pointed out there were eight other countries we intended to see after the US, but the woman held firm. I asked what form of proof they wanted, and I could get it to them without any hassles, but she said we just “needed proof you are going to return to Australia” but would not elaborate any further. I really had to ask lots of questions before she finally said that returning to work would be something that might be of use in the application.

I asked if there was anything else, since really, Di’s position will not be there when she gets back (not that she wants it back) and I could technically write the last bit of my PhD thesis from anywhere in the world, if I wanted. There seemed to be nothing else that she was willing to tell me might be worth bringing along, but I figured I could just find something to say I was a student at Melbourne Uni still, and so help the application process, even though it did mean coming back to the consulate again.

No chance. Too late. The girl then sharply informed me that the information was in the computer and I would have to come back on Thursday between 3:00-3:30pm to find out the fate of the applications. If unsuccessful, we’d be up for another $85.50 each. Then, while I was still reeling from that thought, she called the next person in line and waved me away.

So, right now, we’re more than a little worried since I have no student position to return to (since I’ve lapsed my candidature) and Di has no job to return to, and we have no flat to return to once we’ve gone, and there seems to be no way of finding out what other forms of proof they’d accept. We will have our belongings in storage, but since we are still using them, we don’t have a receipt to show that, and won’t until three days beforehand.

In any event, our fate is in their hands now, and if we don’t get it, we’re up for a lot of money just to submit one or two pieces of paper more than we did this time…

Categories: Travel, Odyssey 2001