At last post, it seemed that we had been added to an immigration black-list. As it turns out, our contacts in Ukraine learned that we are just not allowed to enter the country on any visa until 2009.
As a last ditch effort, I visited the Ukrainian embassy here in Stockholm where I learned that while it was true that we violated the law by not registering beyond 6 months, the fine should have been MUCH lower (indicating that we were paying a bribe) and there is no reason that we should not be able to return. Such a ban is indicated by a stamp in the passport itself, which we don't have. The attitude of the people at passport control seem to back up this explanation - they were fairly helpful and made no statements to indicate that we were no longer welcome on this visa. Further, the person I spoke to here said he was unaware of a 180-day restriction (other than needing to register) for yearly visas. Since Ukraine has the same travel policy towards Sweden and the US, I suspect that he knows what he's talking about.
The next step is to contact the embassy in San Francisco where our visas were issued (as will next year's visas) and see if there is a note regarding our return or a block on renewal.
Please keep praying....
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Let me know if I can help by making cheaper calls over here -- maybe weed out who you need to talk to so you can call back and get them directly.
ReplyDeleteLove you baby bro (and fam!)
I'm so glad to hear that it least sounds like there's been progress in the right direction. I hope things keep going this way...I'll keep praying. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update. No doubt that the fee you had to pay was a bribe to let you catch your flight. I vaguely remember you saying the police operate under the same "system" of "fairness" and "honesty".
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are doing the right thing. Get all the info you can! If your current visas don't have the stamp, then maybe it all comes down to what kind of flag the Ukraine has on you. Hopefully it's as simple as getting a new visa...and then returning on Jan 1, 2009 at 12:01 a.m.! :)
You need to check with the US embassy for the current laws regarding US foreigners living in Ukraine. From what I can understand on your blog is that if you are going to be living in Ukraine long term, that you will need to get a long term multi-entry Ukrainian visa. This way, you can enter and exit the country without dealing with the 180 days rule. You will still have to register with the OVIR office after six months though...
ReplyDeleteMichelle,
ReplyDeleteWe do have a valid 1-year, multi-entry visa but the passport control/border guys decided that since we didn't know to register with OVIR, we are not going to be allowed into the country until Jan 2009 under any circumstances. Unless we can change the mind of the head of this department, it won't matter what visa we have.