Author: WoodwindOz
Date: 2011-07-24 11:47
Apologies in advance...I am not normally one to vent publicly, but here goes...
Some of you may know that my husband and I are heading to the US so he can complete a Masters, and I will be playing in ensembles, taking oboe lessons and other study.
It has been a gruelling process, from the initial tour of the US last year (8 universities in 2 weeks!) to the applications, trying to sell the house and not succeeding, finding someone to rent it, wrangling with the department to get unpaid leave for 2 yrs, you name it, we've done it! The final hurdle was the visa.
For anyone who has travelled to the US for purposes other than a holiday, you possibly have similar stories! We applied for a J-1 visa, which enables me to work and study as a dependent. As soon as we stepped up for our interview, we were told my partner wasn't eligible for a visa (he overclaimed a small amount of social security as a teenager, and it has remained on his record). Our interviewer recommended a waiver, but we were told it could take up to 4 weeks to hear from DC. That 4 weeks came up nearly a week ago. We still haven't heard. We need to arrive on campus 2 weeks from today. As of tomorrow, we no longer have a job (have to take the leave at least for this term).
If it all turns upside down, I am going to be doing not a lot for 3 months...which oboistically could be a good thing (lots of practice time)! And I may yet get to buy that cor with the money I've saved to go away...but it won't replace the experience of studying in the US.
Vent over. Has anyone else had problems with this sort of thing?
Rachel
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