Well, I am going to send to Blanca and only ask her to translate parts. She said we can do this now since as far as I know the translation is just for the lawyer and not the Ministry. I have been waiting for a confirmation email from my colleages all week but never got it, so am making an executive decision. If we need more info later I guess I can go back and do it.

Blanca said that she doesn't typically discount the IVA. She said sometimes she helps out students with that, as I guess was your case Mariposita, but especially since I won't pay her until I arrive and I am asking for the work now, I don't think she will do this for me. She said we can talk once I get there. Wow, 16% sure is a lot.

Mariposita- also she said she didn't recall only translating portions for you. But she'll do it for me and put a note saying that.

hey binkxy, not to get off topic here but it could be worse, in the UK IVA (called VAT = Value Added Tax) is 17.5%.

then again, once you are up that high, what diff. does 1 or 2% make

as i said on another thread (the mobile phone one), you will get used to the 16%... NOT!

and you thought socialized medicine was free

saludos,
jer...

Blanca did translate my entire transcript. She only translated parts of the explanatory info about grades, etc. In my case this really wasn't part of the transcript, but was supplemental information to clarify the terminology on the transcript (it was on a separate page).

That should do the trick for you, as well, especially since you are not taking it to a university or the ministry of education to get a convalidación/homologación, so the certification part probably doesn't matter as much. And if you need to go back and do the rest, she saves all of her work for several years and can start where she left off.

Also, I shouldn't have said discount on the IVA. I just know that she cut me a break on the final price when I paid in cash, but I am, indeed, a student and I did give her quite a bit of work. Jer is right, let's not make any mention of IVA here on the board...

hello!

so i shipped off the transcripts and apostille certificates to spain today. hard to let those things go in the mail with all the fancy stickers and stamps, but i've made copies just in case.

i'll keep in touch with her to check when she gets them... thanks for all the great advice mariposita. i can't wait to meet you when i'm in madrid

p.s. had my first day of work today! next week we will do a video-conference with the madrid office, so i'll kinda get to meet them without even beeing there.

p.p.s.- Jer, glad to know my cluelessness and frustration may also help others out on the board...

Hey Mariposita-

Blanca is a fast worker. My transcripts even arrived fast to her. She did the work and even sent it off to the lawyers helping me out there. I'm goign to call her when I get in town (later this month!) to set up the payment.

Yeah, Blanca always delivers. I hope you were able to save some Euros...

Just thought I´d update on my situation here. this morning my boss had an appointment with the Delegación in the Ministerio de Trabajo. He went with our lawyers. Our lawyers facilitated this rather quick meeting with some Director there, or else we would have had to wait until May for this appointment. Now the application for my residency/work permit has been made and they told us it will take 40-55 days for us to get the letter/document that I need to make my visa application back in the States. This is pretty quick I think, and thanks to them getting to meet directly with the Director.

This seems to be in line with what I have learned from other people here and on the net. I know once I get this document I apply in person at home (DC). I´ve got all my other paper work ready (medical letter, police letter).

Question now- how long will it take after I apply in DC until the visa is ready? I know I also have to be there to pick up the visa. Mariposita, do you have any update on this? I remember you said it could take 2 weeks to a month. Any news? If it´s that quick, I guess I´ll have to stay at home in DC and wait it out. Maybe I can work from our office there. I can´t stay there too long though, as I have a real job I need to do. OH!- during this time do they keep my passport? Yikes. I guess I may HAVE to wait it out...

I´m hoping that around xmas time this will be resolved. Good timing, as my next "3 months" was up around then anyway. I understand once I get back with the visa, then all the fun starts with tarjetas de residencia and NIE and all that. THAT will be a different post.

So, seems we are making process and it may all work out in the end.. I will keep posting. If anyone has experience/advice on actually applying for the visa in the US with all the correct documents, please let me know.

OH, one more question- is it definate that I have to go home to make the application? Or can I have a representative do it for me? I read in certain instances you can send a representative. Anyone know?

quote:

Originally posted by binkx:
OH, one more question- is it definate that I have to go home to make the application? Or can I have a representative do it for me? I read in certain instances you can send a representative. Anyone know?

That's great--binkx. I hope they keep to this schedule.

quote:

This seems to be in line with what I have learned from other people here and on the net.

I don't think this is the norm right now. Christian has been waiting--en trámite--for that letter to arrive since his appointment in April. His case is nothing special, the Ministry is just swamped. Those who applied in January 2006 received their letters in August. So your lawyers must have some kind of super-special enchufe. Do they have to list the job opening--or are they getting to skip this step?

As far as I know, you have to return for the visa, because (for Americans) the visa is only for ENTRY into Spain. In DC, they were adamant about having the person apply in person for the visa, but after that, anyone could pick it up.

The DC office issued student visas in two weeks and held the passport the whole time. I got the impression that they might be able to speed things up, if you had a special case. I'm not sure if it takes longer for the work visa or if the procedure is different (paperwork-wise, it seems similar). We're trying to find this out, too--so please report back, if you figure this out.

I'm also unsure how much time you have to get back to the US and apply after your employer receives the letter from the Ministry. Or if there are any other steps in Spain, after the letter is received.

Good luck!

Seems to me we have a month to go and applly in the States after we get the letter from the Ministry. Our lawyers will be sending us a summary email with all the remaining steps, so I´ll post back if there are any other steps here in Spain after the letter is received.

I think our lawyers did have a super super enchufe. As I said, they met directly with the Director (heh), who is the one that signs in the end. Otherwise the meeting would have been with a funcionario, the papers passed off from person to person to finally end up with this Director.

Hmm, if the Consulate in DC does indeed keep my passport while processing the visa, there seems no advantage in having someone else go pick it up for me, since I´ll have to remain in the States anyway...

Thanks for the info Mariposita!

quote:

Seems to me we have a month to go and applly in the States after we get the letter from the Ministry.

Talked to the lawyers today... They said that after the company who is offering you the job receives the letter, they must send back their approval to the Ministry. It is from the date that the approval is received by the Ministry that you have 30 days to go back and apply for the visa in the US.

So, if it is to your benefit to prolong the process (to get things in order to go, buy a cheaper ticket, etc.) you can add an extra week or two on by having the company hold on to the letter for a week or so before sending it back.

Super-enchufe sounds good--please let us know how it pans out. Today the lawyers said that those who applied in March (with an enchufe regular, not a super super enchufe!) are now receiving their letters. For whatever reason, those who applied in February still haven't (the papers may have gone to a different center for processing). April is still en trámite. I'm really hoping that things get sorted out sooner, rather than later, so Christian can avoid having to go back at Christmas...

Uuuy, I just called the Spanish Consulate in Washington and very calmly and nicely (hopeing it would improve my chances for a good answer) explained my situation and the main question being: when I present my application in DC, how long will it be until I get the visa and can go to Spain to begin work? My virtual eye-batting didn't work, and they still told me, as they have in the past, 1-6 months. That they send the info back to Madrid and the decision is made there. There is nothing we can do to speed it up. Does anyone have experience with this? Mariposita, do you still not have any answer?

They DID say I keep my passport during this time, so I guess I could come back here as soon as I make the application, but gosh, this is getting expensive.

Ugh. But thanks for reporting back. We sent them the same basic question via email (in nice polite Spanish...), but haven't heard back yet.

I realize that they don't care that we have to go back and forth and wait for who knows how long, because technically most applicants should not even be here while the visa is "en trámite". But six months--¡joder!

I guess they must do a stricter (or at least lengthier) background check for work/residency visas than for student visas--which makes sense given that it is the first step toward real residency and eventually citizenship.

So you take the "carta" that was sent to your employer and all of the other paperwork (criminal record, medical certificate, proof of insurance, etc.), then when it is approved, you have to go back in person to present your passport and get the visa pasted in? I need to find someone who has gone through this in DC and find out how it all went down....

Knowing what I know now, it would probably have been quicker and less traumatic (and a whole lot less expensive) to just have waited for the next amnesty...

Yep mariposita, that is correct about going back in person when it is all approved and they past the visa in. But prior to that, along with the criminal record and medical certificate, you mentioned proof of insurance. ?? Do we need that? I have not seen that listed anywhere. Also, I was told from DC that the criminal record and medical letter don´t "expire". (Miami and NY consulate websites says you have three months to turn them in). Did you get the same advice? I got my letters back in May in Miami, and hope they will accept them in DC in December...

If you get an email response back from the Consulate, if you find someone who went through this in DC, or anything, post back.