This spring our school applied for our Hong Kong work visas on our behalf. They were issued on May 8. They're good for 90 days. So far, so good. If we had left July 24 as planned we would have been fine. But because of my accident, we left on August 8 and arrived on August 9 . . . 91 days after the issuance of the visas. Oops.
It didn’t really cause a problem at customs in the airport, they simply stamped our passports with a tourist visa. But is has gotten a little more complicated since then. We spent our first full day in Hong Kong traveling to the immigration office, filling (and re-filling) out lots of paper work, and praying that they could expedite the process.
Coincidently, right about the time we got to the immigration office, I decided it was time for me to air out my right arm. I peeled off my protective bandage and plopped that bad boy right on the counter top. The entire time we were pleading our case to the immigration officer, my beet-red and splotchy arm was sitting there front and center. I was hoping that 1) it would confirm our story about why we were late getting to HK and 2) engender a little good will and mercy. We were hoping that we could get our new work visas issued that day; but alas, it was not to be. So now we wait and pray. It could be a couple of days, or –heaven’s forbid- it could be a couple of weeks.
Problem number one is that without our permanent residency visas, Julie and I are technically not allowed to work and the girls are not allowed to attend school.
Second, without our permanent residency visas we can’t get our Hong Kong i.d. cards. And without our Hong Kong i.d. cards we aren't allowed to do much of anything. We can’t get cell phones. We can’t get internet service in our apartments.
All because we were one day late. Arggh.
In the mean time, people are starting to stare. I better put my arm bandage back on.
-Jack
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