The day began with thick, grey clouds and a
heavy drizzle, not unusual for winter in Auckland. I wrapped myself up in rain
gear and boots not made for temperate, rainy climates. I felt upbeat in the
morning because I looked forward to finalizing some administrative paperwork
for which I had been sent reminders: one from the immigration office, telling
me that I had to submit my paperwork to renew my visa, and the other from the
financial aid officer telling me to submit my signed paperwork to process my US
federal loans for the upcoming year.
I arrived at the University intent on
completing the renewal application for my student visa and did not anticipate
any problems. I arrived on campus with about an hour to spare – enough time for
me to fill out the application, to make a copy for myself, and to print out
another copy of my re-enrollment letter for the 2014 to 2015 school year. The
graduate centre had sent me this letter to facilitate the processing of this
required paperwork and thus I did not foresee problems. At the very least, I
assumed that they clerks would receive my application and then complete the
processing of the paperwork once all the needed information was received from
another office. The re-enrollment letter sent by the graduate centre was
essential, which I had in my possession.
Keep in mind that I went through this miasma
of seeming confusion last year when I transferred from Massey to Auckland
University. Then, I was told by an employee at the graduate centre that I would
need to submit a registration confirmation along with my student visa renewal
application in order to complete the process. In addition, I was to see the
financial aid counselor to get a letter informing the immigration office of my
approval for another year of US Federal loans. I was also instructed then to
request that the financial aid counselor at Auckland contact the person at the
international office who compiles the paperwork for international students in
preparation for review by the immigration office.
The immigration office has a policy of
processing the student visa application in partnership with education providers,
presumably to reduce the cost of the renewal fee for students, who obviously
cannot work full time. NZ$165 is the renewal fee, but varies slightly depending
on when the application is submitted.
About 48 days ago, I received the e-mail from
the immigration office regarding my student visa renewal. I was advised to
submit my renewal application a minimum of 30 days before the expiration date (1
August 2014) of my student visa. Since I knew the workers at the international
office and the financial aid counselor – I have made several trips to both
offices to clarify and obtain information for and from them – I did not
anticipate that they would create the same obstacles for me, consequently making
it (a) hard to receive my loan funds in time with the balance that (due to rent
and food payments) could be in danger of depreciating to zero (thus, leaving me
with no living allowance), and (b) put me in danger of deportation if the
immigration office decides that submitting my student visa renewal application
7 days before the expiration date is not allowable. (Someone at the international
office assured me that the 7 day deadline was okay, which contrasts with the
advice given to me in the email from the immigration office).
Last year, in the course of getting
immigration advice for changing my education provider and how to go about doing
it, I was bounced from one office to another. The Palmerston North immigration
branch told me to get the information from Massey, which only resulted in that
office telling me to go back to the Palmerston North office. To help facilitate
the process, I was eventually informed by Auckland Uni graduate centre that I
should submit my registration form, but surprisingly this failed to do any
good. It began to dawn on me that someone might have been intentionally
obstructing this transfer (the next blog clues you into who this person might
be), especially after making contact with the contact person at Auckland, who
advises international students on such matters. In spite of the presence of the provisional registration form, this person told me that I still needed to be enrolled before they can process the student visa and change the
education advisor. My enrollment date then was set for July 1, 2013, but I could not officially enroll until the education provider was changed on my student visa. This gap in my situation was difficult for the administrative staff to reconcile. To me, the reconciliation was the provisional registration form, as the graduate centre had advised me to submit with my student visa renewal application. However, the international office refused to help make the connection.
This year, the same problems emerged. I was
bounced from one office to another. And, when I showed them the re-enrollment
letter sent to me via e-mail from the postgraduate office, they denied its
legitimacy and denied its existence. “Can you read what that says?” I asked one
of the clerks in the international office? Silence. In one sentence, the notice
unmistakably states in black and white print “you have been re-enrolled for the
2014-2015 school year. This year is 2014 is it not? Since I enrolled at
Auckland on July 1 2013, it is understandable to interpret this re-enrollment
notice as one that would allow me to study for another year until 1 July 2015.
After fighting with me about the letter she must write and sign for the
immigration office in support of my student visa renewal application, she
acknowledged that it was indeed a re-enrollment letter. (Is it not true that
the reason the postgraduate office sent the re-enrollment letter was to
facilitate rather than obstruct the application?)/
In the end, I paid another transportation fee
to speak with an international program officer, and she advised me to get the
letter from the postgraduate office. I pointed out again the presence of the letter
sent to me by email, but she insisted that I physically (unnecessarily) obtain
another letter from the graduate centre. So, in the end, I had to repeat the
process, get a second enrollment letter, and experience another spate of frustration
at the operational disconnect between administrative departments at Auckland,
one that leads to failure to communicate and to lack of synchronization of
actions, which only harms the international student. Ironically, the content of the 2nd letter was essentially the same as the 1st - a declaration that I was re-enrolled until 2017 this time rather than 2015. (This 2017 extension of my graduation date is connected to another curious development in my program, of which I have not been consulted or informed prior to changes being made. So much for treating individuals with dignity and transparency. Another reason to do battle with Auckland).
When I stepped back out onto Symonds Street to
catch a bus home, the rain held at bay for a few hours, began to fall in large
droplets. The grey skies and cold winds equaled my mood. Several days later,
the student visa application still has not been filed, I was told to sign my
promissory note by phone, the first notification of which was sent in an e-mail
that I did not receive, and I am apprehensive because I do not know if it is
true that submitting my application 7 days before the expiration date is in
fact true.
