Deportation Qualms..

Well, was going to leave this blog post for next week (when I actually will have something interesting to say as I am going to Musanze to see the Silverback Gorillas and hike up a couple of volcanoes!), but I seem to have created a bit of a kerfuffle on Facebook by my "deportation impending" status.

So. This is how she goes.

October 21st.
Email from the Canadian High Commission:

INFORMATION

  VISA FOR RWANDA  – VISA POUR LE RWANDA

This is to inform you that as of 1 November 2010, a visa is required by the Rwandan authorities for all Canadian citizens to enter Rwanda. Please contact the Rwanda High Commission in Canada * or get the form online at http://www.migration.gov.rw/ . Once the form is completed, the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration will send you an email approving your request. Upon your arrival in Rwanda, you will present this approval and pay on-site the visa fee (≈60 USD). The visa will be issued at that time.

Easy enough, right? WRONG.

This seemingly easy procedure to obtain a visa, combined with my tendency to procrastinate (and apparently C, S, and R's as well, because we are all here as Canadians and failed to take this email seriously ha) resulted in it now being November 12th and Lauren (along with C, R and S) is sans visa, otherwise known as an illegal immigrant. Woo!

What is the deal? Why did this change all of a sudden? I remember the hassles people going through during our three-week orientation in Antigonish trying to sort things out for certain countries where Canadians required a visa before entry. Rwanda wasn't on that list then, so why the hasty regulation change? What happened with the relationship between these two glorious countries that now would leave me stuck in Uganda, unable to return to Rwanda, if I was to go there next week as I had planned? Stephen Harper.. what are you up to, you ol' dog you? This story on the Globe and Mail could be somewhat related, as there is no Canadian Embassy in Rwanda, and the closest one is in Nairobi, Kenya. Check out this link for yourself.

November 10th.
Eric Galbraith running around Nelson BC trying to obtain his daughter's criminal record check, only armed with photocopies of her ID and trying to explain that she is in Rwanda and can't be here to pick it up herself but it is an urgent matter (Sorry Nelson RCMP staff..). Eric also having to get his daughter's diploma notarized so that Rwanda knows that her degree is legit. Love you Daddy. What would I do without you? Be sent back to Canada apparently.

November 12th.
Police record check will take about a week to process in Canada. KHI comes through in the clutch and prepares all the documents needed to take to immigration. Who would've thought that the administrative duties on the Canadian end would be the limiting reagent in this situation?

So, if everything goes well at immigration in a week's time, we will have official working visas. If anything is delayed past November 30th, we are in trouble.

Bottom line is we will have to pay a fee for not having our shit together by November 1st, and that we will become legal again given that our criminal record checks get here on time.
So no need to worry, although I don't think that people were really worried as the general consensus to this issue seemed to be: "Well, that's kind of good news, because if you get deported, then you can have your annual Christmas sweater party after all!!" Thanks guys, but I think you're going to have to party without me this time.


Next week I will hopefully have pictures of me cuddling in the rain forest at 3600m with the King of the Silverback Gorilla Community... 

Happy belated Remembrance Day, and have a great weekend!
Much love,
L