Not getting one, sucks more! I am realizing just how difficult obtaining a VISA for the U.S. is for citizens of the Dominican Republic, and it´s pretty damned ridiculous. My younger, single, friends from other countries, like England, can easily obtain a tourist VISA where they may visit for 6 months, return home for at least a month, then come back to the U.S. again for another 6 months!!! I´m calling the Department of State and the Office of Homeland Security out--it´s racist profiling, people, plain and simple.
A few days ago Yimmy had his appointment with the consulate to obtain a tourist VISA for 10 days in December so that he could visit his sister, brother-in-law, and nephews in New Jersey. Wil and I helped him complete the application last week. We found out that the application didn´t really make a difference, at least not with the worker that Yimmy met.
Yimmy arrived at the Embassy at 5 a.m. At 9:30 a.m., he finally made it to the front of the line. He met with the worker for approximately 2 minutes. Just long enough for the worker to question Yimmy as if he had not read the application. And, just enough time to say, ¨You are not qualified to go. Thanks. Goodbye. Next?¨ If Yimmy is not qualified, I don´t know who would be. Yimmy is not super young (33), he has been employed at the same place for 10 years, he has a credit card, and he has a savings account. But still, to the worker, he was a potential flight risk because he is a single man. STUPID!!!
Obviously, we were all really sad for Yimmy and his family as they won´t be together for Christmas.
And, it only reinforces that our only hope for Wil is a student VISA. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Why does it all have to be so difficult?
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