Navigating through Bureaucracy in an Asian Culture

When I learned that there are schools here willing to provide student visas for foreigners, this was a huge relief. To say that visas are a challenge would be an understatement. One thing that plays into this is the number of government offices that are required in the process. It is easy for paperwork to get stuck under a pile on someone’s desk which can stall or slow things down. Another problem is the visa procedures. If you ask three different people about the process for applying for a specific type of visa you will probably get five unique answers. Since Asia is all about saving face, you cannot convince or tell anyone that they are wrong, but obviously only one is correct.

Originally I was given a very detailed and straight forward answer about the student visa procedure. Although it seemed strange, someone who had been through the process a few years ago verified that this was indeed how he received his visa. Right away we began hitting road blocks at the embassies. Either we couldn't get in touch with people to answer questions or they said the procedure was not what we were told. At first it looked like it might be a stand-off between the two parties we need to assist us.

This week I had a meeting with the department head here. Using all of my Asian skills, I explained that apparently procedures had recently changed and therefore he may not have been informed of these changes. I explained the new procedure and what was now needed from the school in order for the students to receive visas. Rather than argue with me or tell me that he was right about the proper process, he accepted my explanation and even allowed me to suggest what paperwork to submit to them for admission to the school. He did ask to add one step to the process which will protect the school with local authorities if the procedure is not completely as I described it.

By no means is the process easy, but it is less complicated than before. Please pray for paperwork that will be coming through the postal service. Also pray that things will move swiftly on this side.