We are back from the Crisol de Razas journey and we are happy to report that 9 people received a 2 year residency including a minor.
The new 30* day rule was imposed so one of our friends was required to produce a document that was not available in a timely manner. He will start his process for the jubilado visa instead.
This event was extended until the 15th of October due to the influx of requests for more appointments.
We thank everyone that trusted us to get them through the process. It was an unforgettable experience.
I was able to chat with my immigration friends and all told me that it was too early to determine the future of Crisol de Razas. Negotiations are on their way to determine changes. The rumor that this was the last one is just that...A RUMOR.
To quote one of them: "Estamos en el ojo de la tormenta" ("We are in the eye of the storm")
*30 day rule: You must not be out of Panama more than 30 days during a 2 year period in order to qualify for the Crisol de Razas. Otherwise, you must produce a police clearance from your country of origin along with a Panamanian police clearance.
Craig and Nancy Burgess
6683-8557
canbsitting@gmail.com
Replies
I understand your concern since you are an attorney.
Cheers,
Hil Jenkins
Janina,
Do you have inside informatin on how the voting will go in Panama City?
Cheers,
Hil Jenkins
Yes, it is the last one for this year. The immigration officials are working on a happy solution to the claims attorneys are making. What I believe is that the program will be reviewed, some changes will be made and it may possibly be renamed so that Varela has the credit for the new program. Varela himself said that there were too many people with their 2 year visas that needed to be processed for their 10 year and he would honor that.
Immigration officials would not confirm that this was the last one so we have to take that in consideration.
Immigration made over 60 million dollars with this program and I have a difficult time believing that will let go of such a great income making opportunity.
Best to wait and see.
Nancy and Craig made the process much easier and have gone through it many times. Unfortunately I had to leave the country for 10 weeks for personal business and was denied my visa. This is a new rule and we were unaware until the interview process began. There were many people there and it took about 17hrs at the feria to find out the "new rule". It is well worth the money for Nancy and Craig to walk you through the process. All the forms are filled out before you get there as opposed to having to fill them out on arrival. It's my understanding that sometimes the process only takes about 8-10hrs, it just depends on the volume of people. Even though I didn't get the visa Nancy is applying her fee towards the lawyer fee for the jubilado. If you're looking for the amnesty visa I would definitely go with Nancy & Craig.
We did ours on Saturday so we did not get out quickly. We got there at 2:30 in the morning &'there had to be at least 5-600 people already in line. By the time they opened the gates at 6 there were a few thousand.
When we got inside & filed into the bleachers there was a horde of people from the day before on the main floor that had had to spend the night. So began the experience.... too make a long story short we ended up spending about 20 hours there standing on concrete in this incredibly large crowd of thousands.
It was probably among the 2-3 most grueling experiences of my life but at the same time it was absolutely amazing... On one level it was a little like being stuck in the Superdome during Katrina except there wasn't a disaster happening & thankfully we did have air conditioning.
What was so amazing about the experience was the people in the stadium.. There was no shoving, no arguing, no fights, nobody trying to cut in line etc. considering the arduous conditions it was all incredibly civilized. Our group was the only Americans I saw all day, yet never once were there any bad vibes from anybody.
I can only say after being in many American crowds that Latinos are far more civilized, polite, & friendlier than Americans would be in the same situation. If this was happening in the U.S. there would have been armed cops everywhere. Here there were guards at the gates & entrances & other than armed security where cash payments were made that was it.
& unlike the U.S, the cops that were there were friendly & helpful.Something that NEVER happens in the States anymore since 9/11.
It was amazing thousands of people in a really tough situation all doing the right thing with out a threatening armed police presence like there would be in the States. Ive always had a lot of respect for Latinos. After going thru this experience it has increased enormously.
I'm so used to angry, pushy, nasty American crowds that this was a real revelation about how messed up we are in how we deal with these kind of situations. Americans, especially many of the ex-pats in Boquete could learn a real lesson in civility from our host country.
Lastly I want to say that Nancy was more than worth every penny we paid for her services. I would recommend that if you are thinking about attending the next one, you seriously want to use Nancy or it could be a truly confusing & absolutely frustrating experience without her invaluable help.
Nancy, can you email me when you have a sec? dianneheidke@yahoo.com
gracias,
dlh
Hello Steve, It is an FBI report that they want. However, this is a new rule. Prior to this event there was never any issue so everyone got through fine. This only applies if you have left the country for more than 30 days during a 2 year period. Otherwise, there is no need for the FBI report.Thanks.
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next