So last week when I dropped off
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lilithilien at the airport, we were informed that she needed that electronic visa thingie for Australia. The one that's really easy to procure but that I'd thought Canadians didn't need, so didn't bother to check. Turns out she did need it - was no problem, as you can buy it at airport.
Borders are dumb, people. Can't we just do away with them? Anyway, that, combined with some research I was doing on immigration/deportation practices in the UK (with
amo_amas_amat coming to my rescue like a glittery research fairy <333), led me to take a quick glance in my passport to make sure I was all set to go to Europe next week.
Uhmmmmm. Not so much. I've been a permanent Kiwi resident for years, which is why I didn't bother to check anything because... why would there be problems, right? But I did vaguely remember that residency and travel conditions were somewhat connected but not identical, as I realised when I saw that my resident's visa had expired last month. And I am travelling next week. Cue massive ensuing panic. (This is all kinds of daft and unnecessary. Basically residency itself is indefinite, but you still need a visa to return to the country after travel, and the visa can expire. And if you travel on an expired visa, your residency itself
can expire too. Which would obviously suck.)
This would be where I flapped about like a headless chicken trying to figure out what to do and if I could get the visa extended before I left. Luckily I was going to be in Wellington this weekend to see the lovely
alsha so was hoping I could throw myself at the mercy of the immigration office there. Calmed down a bit once I'd read up on things, because even if I totally failed to apply now and did travel on an expired visa, I could get stuff done retroactively once I got back, but it would be more hassle. Called the immigration helpline to confirm what I had to do in Wellington. Bloke was super-nice and helpful, told me everything I needed, including fees and all, and said I could probably even get same-day service on it if I went to the office first thing in the morning.
Even so, I spent a stupid amount fretting because immigration stuff is scary. Well, it's never been scary with the NZ authorities, at all, but I'm still conditioned to super-serious and chronically backlogged Canadian immigration. I'd been hoping I could get the visa thing done permanently (I did meet the conditions for that) so I wouldn't have to worry about extending it every few years and avoid situations like this (where I realise by pure dumb luck a week before I travel that I have no visa!). The bloke on the phone kept talking about extending it instead, which I'd have been fine with too, JUST GIMME SOME DAMN OFFICIAL THING THAT WILL LET ME BACK IN MY COUNTRY, YEAH?
Monday morning we trecked to downtown Wellington before the immigration office opened, to queue with the other usual suspects. Flash down memory lane I did not need! The office opened, I got my ticket number, we sat around waiting for five minutes. Then I got called into an officer's cubicle. He gave me a big smile and asked how he could help. I explained about the sitch, said I hoped I could get a permanent visa and I reeeaaally hoped it could get processed today. Friendly shrug. "Yep, sure, don't see why not." He looks at my application, nods, stamps, jokes around, asks if I came to Wellington just for this. Nope, I was in town anyway. "Good, cause that would have been boring." Yes, I qualify for the permanent thing, no problem. Do I have my credit card for the fee? Yes, I do. "Oh, wait." Frowny face at the computer screen. I freeze. "Oh, you don't pay. We have a fee-waiver agreement with Austria. Sweet, eh? Go treat yourself to breakfast instead." I surreptitiously look around for the REAL immigration officer. He signs my application, prints out a visa, slaps it in, beams at me. "Have a good trip, see ya." I was out of there in under ten minutes with everything DONE. No "we'll mail it to you", no processing time, not even a "pick it up tomorrow/later today."
NZ Immigration keeps doing this and I never believe it's for real. They seriously deserve some kind of international award for efficiency, speed, uncomplicatedness and mind-boggling friendliness when dealing with what the rest of the world approaches like a hostile invasion of their precious soil.
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