hodgepodge

a huge bummer

About a year and a half ago I went in to the foreign police to renew our visas. Always, always, always our date for renewal was October 6th. For over 4 years. This time, though, I was met with an unpleasant surprise. My visa had the wrong date on it and had already expired! Unbeknownst to me, I was in the country illegally living and working. This, of course,was mainly my fault, as I should never assume anything and instead check and recheck everything, especially with regard to such important documents. That was a bad day. It meant alot of hassle for us (4 trips to Vienna to get a new visa, plus loads of paperwork and angry immigration and embassy employees), lots of headaches for my employer (who took it like champ and completely helped me out), not to mention the money we had to fork over for the new visa. Fast forward to the present day. We were hoping this year to apply for our long term residency. This gives one a lot of the benefits that a citizen has with the added bonus of not having to apply for visas each year. Unfortunately, since my visa expired and I received a new one, the process for my long-term residency has just begun. It is a 5 year wait...I am now on year one. My family will apply this year, but I will remain an outcast for 4 more.