Job Discussion Forums

AbeCross · Joined: 21 Jun 2012 Posts: 191

Can anyone here recommend a competent visa agent in the Washington, DC area? Thank you kindly.

johnslat · Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 3:46 pm Post subject:

Dear AbeCross,

Here's what a search provided:

http://www.saudiembassy.net/services/visa_offices_registered_with_enjaz.aspx

and a specific recommendation:

"You shouldn't need to be asking these questions on a board, because your employer is supposed to either (a) supply this info, or (b) refer you to a visa handling agent. If this is not happening, forget about trying to jump through all the visa hoops yourself. Hire a visa handler. I recommend Daran Visa Svcs in Washington."

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=81881&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=visa+agent+washington&start=75

That agency is listed on the first link:

Diran Visa Services
1010 Vermont Ave., NW,
Suite 410
Washington, DC 20005
202-638-4328

Regards,
John

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Even with a good employer you have to jump through hoops. With lousy employers the hoops are more difficult. Sometimes impossible.

AbeCross · Joined: 21 Jun 2012 Posts: 191

Thanks for the replies. My future employer sent me the list of Enjaz-approved visa agents and instructed me to find a competent one.
Diran happens to be one of the two I recently contacted. They did not answer my last email to them and I wasn't too impressed with Diran.
The whole process of acquiring a work visa, especially the medical testing required, is nothing short of ridiculous.

cmp45 · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 1475 Location: KSA

johnslat · Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 8:30 pm Post subject:

Dear AbeCross,

And don't forget - it's Ramadan. Very little gets accomplished during the Fasting Month (and that may be an overstatement.)

Regards,
John

trapezius · Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 4:31 am Post subject:

http://www.americanvisadc.com

Way cheaper than Diran Visa.

desert_traveller · Joined: 28 Nov 2006 Posts: 335

EnglishDoYouSpeakIt · Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 151 Location: Saudi Arabia

shebab · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 168

At the end of the day, it's better to do the paperwork yourself. Diran Visa was messing up my paperwork by sending it to the Saudi Embassy and not the Cultural Mission (a no-no for University jobs). The agency insisted that I needed an extra stamp from my employer in Saudi, something not necessary for university jobs. This was after they bounced my account among four different Diran employees, each of which either went on vacation, had a grandfather who died, or broke their arm and called in sick. When I realized I was in danger of losing the job because of this incompetence, I drove to the Agency and demanded my paperwork back. They only charged me for the Enjaz form. Then I drove to the Cultural Mission and personally handed everything over to the woman in charge. And no, I don't live in the DC area. At that point, I got my visa in three days.

Actually I vetted a variety of agencies before I went with Diran. ABriggs, while having a very impressive website, did not seem very organized or competent when I contacted them by phone. While a sample size of two is not statistically significant, my dealings with them left me with a very bad taste.

DON'T WASTE TIME AND MONEY ON A VISA AGENT IF YOU ARE GOING TO WORK FOR A UNIVERSITY! IT JUST SLOWS DOWN AN ALREADY SLOW PROCESS!

rdobbs98 · Joined: 08 Oct 2010 Posts: 236

That was my whole thinking as well but the SACM is horrible to get on the phone for anything. When I do get through they put you into a voice-mail that you never get return calls from.

So is the agency worth it or not?

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

rdobbs98 · Joined: 08 Oct 2010 Posts: 236

I spoke with someone at the public affairs office at the Saudi Embassy and they told me off the record that SACM has not been returning calls to them either and is frustrating the Embassy as well. This seems to be the norm and everything they do seems to become a mess when it never has to.

My question to all reading is how many used an agency if you worked for a Saudi University and how many went solo? Respective of how you did it, did it work or not?

From what I am seeing is like any country in the Middle East, you end up paying someone for something anyhow and it seems the same with the whole agency thing too.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I was fortunate. My visa was processed by the SACM in Ankara. They were "pro-active" and actually phoned me to check that everything was going well ! Unheard of for a Saudi official to take the initiative like that.

shebab · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 168

I was also fortunate in that I received a personal phone call from the woman at SACM when my visa was ready and my passport about to be Fedexed back to me. But that was probably because I had personally shown up at her cubicle to hand everything over to her, something I would never have done if the visa agency had been doing their job.

The agency may be good for getting the diploma authenticated at the SACM and filling out the elusive Enjaz form, but for nothing more!

For the money you pay at an agency, you could rent a car and spend a few days in DC, seeing the sights at the many wonderful free museums between shuttling back and forth to the SACM in Virginia to get the paperwork stamped! Very Happy