Korean Job Discussion Forums

[fromtheuk]

Today was just one of those days..............

My wife and I met at the British embassy early in the morning, we got the forms stamped and swore an oath. We were advised to go to the Iraqi Embassy.

For a while now, my wife has asked the Iraqi embassy what their procedures are for marriage and none of them had an answer. Today we went there, and they said we need to get a legalised translation of my wife's documents, to confirm she was single.

The translation is from Arabic to Korean and English. So first we need my wife's documents to be translated, next we need to go to the Ministry of foreign affairs to get it stamped, return to the Iraqi embassy and get it notarised, go to the Korean ward office to get legal recognition there, and also visit the British Embassy to get it notarised.

The ambasssador of Iraq could have produced a letter confirming my wife's documents are in order, because those documents were issued by the Iraqi government, and because the ambassador speaks Arabic, he could have confirmed with a letter, my wife's documents prove she was single prior to marriage.

So, we try and find a translation service but can't find one and we decide to visit the Korean ward office. We tell them the Iraqi Embassy are not helpful or consistent in explaining the process involved for marriage.

The Koreans phone the Iraqi embassy and get no response. My wife has repeatedly called and visited the embassy and they never return her calls.

We discuss matters with the Korean office and they agree that if we can get my wife's documents stamped by the Iraqi embassy and if my wife translates the Arabic into English, they will give us what we need to make everything legal.

By late afternoon, we revisit the Iraqi embassy, and this time I do the talking. I tell them all we need is a stamp and I also tell them I'd be very grateful if they could help us, which they did, and we then left them.

I haven't included every single detail of today's nightmare. But the point I'd like to make is this. The Iraqi embassy in my wife's estimation were deliberately trying to be unhelpful.

The embassy staff don't seem to be busy but don't like to be helpful. If this is how their embassy is run, just imagine how the 'democratic' government of Iraq must be. If they are as inefficient as their embassy, there is no hope for the Iraqi people with such useless 'officials' who claim to run their country.

In fact most people realize the current Iraqi regime is far worse than what they had before, regardless of what anyone thinks of what was there before the most recent invasion.

Don't you just love freedom?!!!

Tomorrow we'll go to the Korean ward office and hopefully get what we need. Then, it's off to the British embassy and if we have time we will go to immigration to get the spousal visa, or otherwise we will do that the following day.

I go back to work on Thursday and I seriously hope there are no further delays!

[Atavistic]

[MarionG]

Wow...

[cbclark4]

They covered all this on the first day of orientation!

[Octavius Hite]

Yeah, go to the Canadian Embassy where the girls behind the counter have all the patience and manners of a rabid dog.

I mean its such a hard life having to work 10-1130 everyday!


Man I should have payed attention in French class.

[Paul_Zerzan]

[Juregen]

People working for Embassies are BUREAUCRATS, educated in the field of doing as little as possible in as much time as possible.

No one really needs them, unless its really really necessary and important (for other bureaucrats). So when they finally get to exercise their power, they like to abuse it.

As a bureaucrat making a mistake is a BIG NO NO, and since most of them are ill informed and badly trained, and hired because they know someone on the inside, they can't move their butts cause the probability of making a mistake is 100%.

[pesawattahi]

Yeah dude get used to government workers. Its like the DMV only it affects you more and them the same. Also since it is an Arab embassy get used to Inshallah meaning: yeah maybe (Litteral translation: God willing). Take Korea time and add just whatever. Don't get discouraged just keep at it. If you aren't proactive and keep bugging the people until you get what you want nothing will ever get done.

Don't rely on them to take care of it for you. Call them every few days for a while and if nothing is dne increase your frequency of calling and inquiring. It will seem real inconvinient to you and a mere annoyance to them but after a while it will be so annoying that even if your spouse was wanted in 50 different countries they will give you what you want so they won't be bothered anymore. (Always remain extremely polite but have facts and if you don't act like you know what you are talking about if it makes sense, don't do the last part too often)

[tefain]

Persistence is the key. Your problems are not theirs, so they won't worry much about it. Follow up and stay on them!

[RJjr]

[Cheonmunka]