Wading through red tape.

Finally. After two and half months, I am a legal, non-immigrant, working resident of Thailand for one year. I started the visa and work permit process on my first day of work, June 1st, and now, on August 15th, it is finally over. Thank God.

I already had a visa when I entered Thailand in May, but it was only valid for ninety days. I had to get a work permit with papers from CMU to prove I was a legitimate teacher, then extend my visa for a year, and then go back to the Labour Office to extend my visa. You can't have one without the other.

For each step of the process, I had to provide papers prepared by the Foreign Relations Office at CMU along with about a gazillion copies of my passport. Sometimes it is hard to get a clear, concise answer from Thai people about logistics. Often they would tell me that something is ok even if isn't, just because they didn't want to disappoint me or hurt my feelings. However, when working on very important documents that prevent me from being deported, this is frustrating. Sometimes unbearably frustrating.

For example, a few days ago, the head of the Foreign Relations Office told me that they had lost all of the papers I had gathered and given to them to process. To prepare another batch of papers would take at least a week, perhaps more, and that was time that I didn't have. I had a hard time keeping my temper but held it together, and then went in the bathroom and cried because I was so frustrated. Thankfully, they called later that afternoon to tell me that they had had my papers the entire time. Ha ha.

Today I went to the immigration office and spent more than two and half hours signing things, being interviewed, waiting around, and generally just being confused. But I got to leave with a little stamp in my passport that says I am a legal resident until May 2008. Later, I went to the Labour Office at the City Hall, showed them my new visa and got another stamp in my work permit. Finis.

Now all I have to do is present myself with my passport at the immigration office every 90 days to prove that I am still in the country. It is such a weight off of my back to have this taken care of; my current visa expires in a week and a few days. I didn't want to make it a close call!

Thanks to all of you who have prayed with me about these documents coming through without any hassle. Although there was some hassle (quite a bit of hassle, actually) I am just grateful to have everything that I need. Hurray!