Cuenca, Ecuador

Cuenca, Ecuador

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Updates and Plan B's

Well, one month from today, both Tom and I will no longer be employed, and the final rush will be in full swing.  Tom's last day will be February 6, and my last day will be February 13. We fly to Ecuador on February 21. ......Remember that February 21 date as you continue reading below....

Since we started the moving process, there have only been a handful of challenges.  As most of you know, we're both meticulous planners.  We always have Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. (OK, and if the truth be known, we also have Plans D through AAAA as well)

It's a good thing we are organized, because we've recently had two curve balls thrown our way: 1) additional security clearances needed, and 2) the USDA closing their North Carolina office.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, we were required to get an FBI arrest record when applying for our permanent resident visas for Ecuador. That involved us going to the county sheriff's office to have our fingerprints taken ($10 each.) We then mailed those prints, about $100, and a background check form to a private company that taps into the FBI database to report that neither of us have been arrested. I'm a former federal agent and a police department volunteer.  I've given a lot of fingerprints in my life!

Well, right around Christmas 2014, Ecuador changed the rules regarding background checks. Now, they also require a state-issued arrest record in addition to the federally-issued report.  So, back to the sheriff's office to get more fingerprints!  We sent those prints, a $28 check, and a form to Raleigh, North Carolina. A few days ago, we received our state arrest records.  We've sent them to our facilitator for translation into Spanish. 

I would think that an FBI-issued report would trump a North Carolina SBI (State Bureau of Investigation) report, but what do I know?!

The other curveball tossed our way arrived just today.  The USDA closed its veterinary office in Raleigh, North Carolina. Why is this a curveball? Well, actually it is a major crisis!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Sonny Bunny has to have his medical records certified by the USDA vet in Raleigh. Sonny has his local vet appointment on Thursday, February 12. In accordance with Ecuadorian law, that appointment is 10 days out from our arrival in Ecuador.  Tom was planning on driving Sonny's report to the vet in Raleigh on Friday, 13 February. Tom had to call the USDA vet today (exactly 1 month out) to schedule the appointment for the 13th. 

We have an appointment at the Ecuadorian embassy in Atlanta on Tuesday, February 17. We have to take Sonny's USDA-approved paperwork to the embassy so that Sonny will get his entry visa.

That was Plan A. 

When Tom called the USDA office in Raleigh today, he got an automated message saying that the office was permanently closed, and all paperwork now had to be sent to a New York state address. Now, obviously we are not going to be driving the paperwork to New York, so we had to go to Plan B.  

Plan B is to drive the paperwork to a USDA office in Richmond, Virginia. The snag in that plan is that no vet works in that office on Fridays!  They are going to try to get a vet to come in and process Sonny's paperwork.  If that doesn't work, we will go to plan C.  That will mean shipping the paperwork to the New York office, and a delay in getting the paperwork to the Ecuadorian embassy in Atlanta. 

The concern with either of those two options is the fact that we have to have the paperwork in-hand to take to the Ecuadorian embassy for our appointment on Tuesday, February 17. As a buffer, we have the appointment rescheduled to Wednesday, February 18. The Ecuadorian embassy (so far) has been very easy to work with.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, timing is very critical when taking a pet to Ecuador. The vet appointment has to be within 10 days of arriving in Ecuador, and the Ecuadorian embassy has to have the entry visa issued shortly thereafter. The 10 days is written in stone: not 9, not 11.

Working within such tight time restraints requires everything to fall into place exactly as planned. The USDA closing their office in North Carolina really threw a wrench into our well-oiled planning machine!



Look at the face!