My Second Try.. My Second Visa
After few months, I found out that I was still clinging to hope. I still found myself running every morning to my emails to see if there was something, someone telling me that my problem was solved. I kept on trying sending emails right and left but no use.
I wrote an email to the person who was about to be my boss and told the obvious, that I wanted to call an end and I want an official contract termination.
That email was for me more than it was for him. I wanted a closure. I was getting drained with things in Baghdad were going from bad to worse everyday.
His reply was nice but did not help:
I wrote an email to the person who was about to be my boss and told the obvious, that I wanted to call an end and I want an official contract termination.
That email was for me more than it was for him. I wanted a closure. I was getting drained with things in Baghdad were going from bad to worse everyday.
His reply was nice but did not help:
Hi (….)
I hope you are well. Unfortunately, the other “wasta” which I tried
turned out not to be so helpful, so there isn’t anything more that I can do from
here. As far as the contract goes, it is stipulated that it is only valid once
the visa formalities are approved, no need for a letter from us. However, if you
require a letter I can furnish you with one. I will check to see if the college
certification can be returned.Your visa rejection was through the ministry of labor security not immigration. As far as employment with (……) is concerned, we have not filled the position. I have changed the structure of the department somewhat. If you are successful in obtaining a visa clearance, then we would need approval from the management committee, but in principle, would still be interested in employing you.
With my best wishes & regards.... good luck and please keep me informed of any progress
The dream and faith have already gone.
In Baghdad, my good Non-Arab, Non-Iraqi boss was following up with me and when he knew that my company in Dubai had nothing to do for me he tried to help through his contacts in UAE, after all, our company was struggling to keep working in Iraq and we were threatened to lose everything in any minute especially after our company was attacked.
One morning,a well well known Iraqi-British business man called me and asked me few questions and said he would apply a visit visa for me and when I went there he would try to set me residency with his company or another company if I wanted to.
He made it clear that it was because I was single that I was rejected.
The new visit visa application took months in processing. Every now and then I receive and email from my boss asking me to provide a certain document, once it was my college certificate to prove that I was a college graduate. They were probably worried I would be a belly dancer lasama7 Allah.
Another time they were asking for my old passport and my old visa to prove that I was in UAE before. For Iraqis being in UAE before should facilitate your second visa, even the tourism offices in Amman would not submit your visa application if you had not been there. Once again they were asking for my mother’s document to prove that she was with me.
After three months, my visa application was rejected and, again, for unannounced reasons.
He made it clear that it was because I was single that I was rejected.
The new visit visa application took months in processing. Every now and then I receive and email from my boss asking me to provide a certain document, once it was my college certificate to prove that I was a college graduate. They were probably worried I would be a belly dancer lasama7 Allah.
Another time they were asking for my old passport and my old visa to prove that I was in UAE before. For Iraqis being in UAE before should facilitate your second visa, even the tourism offices in Amman would not submit your visa application if you had not been there. Once again they were asking for my mother’s document to prove that she was with me.
After three months, my visa application was rejected and, again, for unannounced reasons.
During that time, a new girl was brought to the office. She worked for another company but in the same building with us. She was very loud and funny; you could always hear her voice while making fun of others or joking around. In spit I was in front of her the whole time she did not find me interesting to say hello, well, not until my colleague arrived from his business trip and I started to see a lot of her.
She liked my colleague and I started noticing the flirting when ever my colleague went to have coffee or using the copy machine. That did not bother me but actually added fun to the dull atmosphere we were working in and gave me some laughs every now and then. I stopped laughing when she started trying to make friends with me to come and sit in our office and see more of my colleague. She would come sit with me like 15 minutes every day, talk about everything and anything. She did not need my contribution to the one sided conversation beside the occasional nodding or the “Yah”, “Of course” and “Ok” from my side.
She used to work with the American Army but found it too risky to continue with them so she switched to another company. She told me some shocking stories that you cannot just share with strangers. She told me about how once she entered a room on two, American solider and some Iraqi prostitute!! I had many question marks on her but I knew that story was told me to as a threat too. She knows a lot and she is well connected. Got the message.
She once stepped into our office and started telling me that she is not comfortable with everything and wanted to leave to Dubai and since everyone in the company knew I was in Dubai she asked if I could join her and leave together.
I gave her a diplomatic answer and she left after telling me she would do it whether I would go or not.
My colleague looked at me in fear after she was out of our office and said” You’d be crazy if you considered going with her”.. “I am not planning to” I answered.
That girl holds Non Iraqi passport and despite she worked with the invasion force, the UAE authorities granted her a residency. I knew that when she returned back to Iraq, just like me, resigned and took all her stuff and returned to the country who calls Iraqis “ Our Muslim Brothers and Sisters”
posted by Rejected @ 11:16 PM
9 Comments:
Rejected,
Thanks for keeping on writing. I'm sorry you have to go through all this.
Good luck
Hi Accepted (as I will always call you).
Thanks for keeping on writing, we have been waiting for a long time .
It's normal to face problems with getting U.A.E viesa , especially for Iraqis , my relatives had to wait for it for long time and then they were being refused , despite the fact that their father has a high position in Iraq, others are lucky or rich enough to get or buy it.
About that girl, regardless to what our impression about her is, she has non-Iraqi passport and that means alot, it doesn't matter what she is , it matters if she is Iraqi.
Despite the fact that it's against the unity of Arabs, but the planners in UAE think how to protect and develop their country economically, socially and demografically , so they have to be careful with the numbers of Iraqis.
I don't want to hurt you by my words, I wish you go to a place where you can get something worthy, and I don't think it could be Arabic country.
Still it happens and frequently.
Regards
Hello there, I read your blog with interest. It's so unfortunate that you still haven't found the path to your dreams, and I hope you do. Good luck and keep us posted.
Thank you all for your kind support :)
Very interesting blog!
Shame that it's so negative, especially given you're young, iraqi, smart, and an engineer!
I find it very surprising that they have rejected you for a visa in UAE when it seems they are accepting any single person from every corner of the globe.
Well I can talk a bit better about here in the UK. I don't know what engineering discipline you specialise in, but here we've got a super-boom and surely unless you've got a criminal record then you can get a job in most big UK consultancies with no problem.
Just yesterday we had a new engineer from Panama! Imagine, they can't get brits or even europeans so they got this Spanish speaking dude with a mustache!
Just an idea!
Hello Buj, I was rejected twice in UAE as if I had a criminal record to tell you the truth. When I met the UAE ambassador I told him I can bring him all the documents since I was born to make sure I am clean. The ironic thing I didn't know they have hidden laws and I just undignified myself with that.
I have a couple of British friends who offered to help me but after 4 years from the invasion it is harder for Iraqis and I'm not sure if I could help my parents if I tried this path.
You would think trying with Arab country would help.
Hmm tis a shame wallah.. what hidden laws are you talking about?
I know it's not easy for Iraqis to enter the UAE, we have a lot in my family that are married to Iraqi gentlemen and they found it hard (but managed) to enter in 2002 just b4 the invasion, but after 2004 it became very hard, even with jobs etc..
we have a few old members and getting them in is almost impossible. at the end managed on health grounds.. it's sick wallah..
like you said if u were a russian dancer i don't anticipate many problems with visas.. ufff
as for the UK.. can't u bring ur parents here with u?
Hang in there! I am very sorry to hear the set of issues you are going thru. BuJ is correct, these days, there is much crappy folks, who've got no respect for UAE, Arab values, showing up in Dubai just for the partylife.
still its hard to get a visa till today for a iraqi citzen, i have been in UAE for the past 17 years now i graduated from universirty and its hard to get a job as companies refuse the iraqi citzens !!! i dont knw wen we are going to be normal ppl like other nationalities
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