YATTA!

YATTA!  I have my TN-VISA.  That is all... engage happy times and celebrations all around.  YATTA! YATTA!


YATTA video... watch now you must :D

Drama of the past few days

Many are probably already aware of the exciting, busy, hectic, crazy, absurd, and tiring roller-coaster ride that Rowan and I have been on recently, but for those that aren't here a bit of a summary.

Those that have been following this blog, know that I've been waiting on some papers, so that I could cross the border and finally get my work VISA.  Well, Tuesday of last week, I finally had those papers in my hand.  Rowan and I booked flights for the next day to Canada to visit with Vissers and friends in Kingston for a few days, before crossing the border back into the US, where the processing would (in theory) take place for my work VISA.

Well, everything was going fantastically, we had a great time in Kingston and were dropped off at the Toronto International Airport by my brother on Sunday morning.  Armed with my passport and the documents from the (large, well known, and well respected) University I will be working for, we approached the pre-flight border guard and asked for my VISA to be processed.  He kindly directed us to the secondary inspection point (as expected), where another guard received my documents, took finger print scans, a photo of me, and we took our seats.

You should see that smiling face in the photo they took (I have a copy of it): bright-eyed, full of hope and excitement, ready to start working hard, and happy as can be.  We didn't have to wait around too long before they called me up.  The border guard read over my petition letter, and when finished, looked up at me and told me that I would very likely be denied my work VISA.  A few questions later and I was asked to sit down while she went to speak with her supervisor.  Needless to say, when she came back nothing had changed and I was ultimately denied the VISA.

So, Rowan and I continued on to the US under the VISAs we had before.  Such an amazing week, but that couldn't change the great disappointment we both felt for the next few days.

Now it's Wednesday and at least I have some better news to report.  The international services here at the University was just as surprised as we were that my VISA was denied, so they figure it must have just been the border guard that I got, as my VISA is pretty much a no-brainer and should have been accepted.  This means that my petition letter will be re-worked and I'll be sent out to try again in a day or two.  Hopefully lightning doesn't strike me twice...

More Fishy Sweatery Goodness with a Small Job Hire Progress Update

Perhaps, I'm getting a little too excited about this, but the sweater is still progressing really well, so I figured I'd post a few photos of where I'm at now.

So I'm now have way through the 6th row of diamonds.  Figured it was time to try it on (I last tried it on just after the ribbing at the bottom), and it's still looking great.  I've pulled it snugly around my waist for the photo, but infact there is a few inches of ease, which seems to me to be a perfect fit.  Still a long ways to go, but it's going well!

Concerning the hiring, it's been going a little slower than hoped for, though perhaps not slower than expected. Anyways, I got news that we're now only waiting on one more thing before everything can be sent of to the Internation Services here at USC.  So, we're still around 2 weeks away from having my VISA and officially starting, but in the meantime I've been learning and training myself as much as possible so I can hit the ground running.

Deemed Suitable for Hire

The background check was completed incredibly fast, and I have been "deemed suitable for hire".  I guess I don't have a big criminal record or anything... but we already knew that ;)  What does this mean now?  Well, assuming the required signatures have been gathered, then everything can be sent off to OIS, and the final processing can commence.  If that's the case, then everything should be in place in about (or less than) 2 weeks for a short trip to Canada, which should result in a VISA for me!  Huzzah!

Update: Job for Jason

A small forewarning: this post will be fairly wordy, with not many pictures to keep you entertained.  For those with short attention spans or for whom reading more than the dialogue boxes in a comic strip is a bore, I have included paragraph summaries.


Just thought I'd let everyone know where the job application process is at.

The University of Southern California (where I will be working) has been plugging away at my application.  Last night I was told that I had not yet applied for the job online, and as such they hadn't even started on the background check.  So, today I filled out all of the requisite forms and hopefully that is now underway; the background check is estimated to take 5 days (though I have heard varying accounts of how long this has taken for other people).  This development was a bit of a disappointment for me.  I had applied to the position online previously (back in December), so I thought all of that was out of the way.  Something must of changed though, because the online job posting had a change in ID number and title, which means I needed to reapply for it; sadly no one told me about this.  Still it's all taken care of now, and hopefully the delay won't be too severe.  Paragraph summary: the job application is being processed; one small delay, but no major problems; background check is underway.

Also today, we (an administrative guy from the department I will be working for who has been handling most of the paperwork, a woman that has lots of experience with Canadian VISAs, and myself) met with the director of the Office of International Services (OIS).  Since the background check wasn't done, which also means we don't yet have an offer of employment letter, there wasn't much she could do.  Fortunately, except for the background check and a few signatures on a form, everything is in place to hand off to OIS.  Once OIS has the package of information, they'll process it, fill out some forms, double check the forms, and then finally give me the go-ahead; this should take them about two weeks.  By go-ahead, I mean, they'll hand me a pile of papers, which I'll take with me on a trip to Canada.  Upon returning to the US, I'll present this package of papers to the border guard and I should have my work VISA.  Paragraph summary: Once the background check and offer of employment letter are in place, it will take two-weeks before I can go and get my VISA.

Based on the times required for things to happen, I estimate that this should all be done in 3 to 5 weeks.  I think 3 weeks is definitely a best case scenario, and anything faster than that would be a miracle.  5 weeks gives lots of room for delays and things happening slower than expected.  Paragraph summary: 3 to 5 weeks and Jason should have his TN-VISA.


That's all for now.  I'll try to post updates as they happen.

Oh, and in case I haven't mentioned it yet: I will be working in a research laboratory at the University of Southern California as a "Research Lab Technician".  More specifically I'll be managing, operating, and maintaining an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer.  Paragraph summary: Jason will be working with a "science machine" at a university.

Good News!!

Things are looking up, folks.  I talked with the two professors at USC that are interested in hiring me, and the paper work to hire me has now commenced.  In case that wasn't clear enough: JOB FOR JASON.  Some specifics, such as when I'll officially start are still up in the air because they depend on how fast administration can move.  Still, this is fantastic news and both Rowan and I are overjoyed.  I'll let you know when I know more.

Job hunt update

But the good news is that Jason has been interviewing for a job as a Technician in one of the labs here at USC... Keep your fingers crossed folks!