Yesterday morning I woke up to an email from my contact at Palacky University that immediately put me at ease. She told me that she and the university coordinator were working really hard to get all the foreign students' visas approved, and even if they weren't they would make sure I could leave as planned on the 16th. This made me incredibly happy because I hadn't heard from Palacky in a few days and I was really worrying if I should even fly there without my visa (if that had happened). She also mentioned that the university gave this story to the press hoping that would get the foreign police to move faster with our visas. Twenty minutes later, she emailed me asking for my picture because a reporter from the newspaper Hospodarske noviny (the most important daily newspaper in the Czech Republic) wanted to tell my story! This was so exciting - being in the newspaper even before I get there is cool, but knowing that I could help speed up the approval of the other students visas, as well as mine, was awesome.
This morning I woke up to an email at 6:20 with the news that I was in the newspaper! It turns out the other two biggest universities in the Czech Republic had also reported problems with foreign students and their visas. The article discussed the whole issue, but it focused on me! There were almost exact quotes from some of the emails I had written to the university. The most striking part of the article for me is where someone from a major university (I can't tell which one they refer to in my translated article) says that this essentially presents a poor image of the Czech Republic to students around the world. If the Czech Republic makes it difficult for them to study there, they are discouraged and chose to study elsewhere in Europe. I think this was the real stinger for the people who finally approved my visa...
Four hours later I looked at my phone while I was at work, and to my surprise and relief, the consulate in Chicago had called informing me my visa had been approved! That's all it took - an article in the news paper (and, they tell me, a story on the radio too!) and my visa was instantly approved. The Ministry of the Interior is quoted in the article saying that it is difficult with their transition and having to take over thousands of visas, but that is really the only mention of them. It's focused on the students and the image of the Czech Republic. And that is a really exciting and impressive thing to read.
I found the article on the newspaper's website. I use Google Chrome as my browser and can have web pages translated to English automatically. Here's a link to the article: click here for the article in Czech! And I've pasted it her quickly translated by Google. Forgive grammar and language problems, it's just a quick translation. And not to mention the fact they spelled my name in an interesting way... either way, it's still me!
Also - THANK YOU everyone who kept me in your thoughts and prayers the last week and a half! I'm sure it helped and my family and I greatly appreciate your support through this stressful time!
Study in the Czech Republic runs them through his fingers. Foreign students hinder John's amendment
For all the complicated handover agenda of the Foreign Ministry of Interior police.
Twenty years American Kellice Clocková had last week to land in the Czech Republic and preparing for the start of the semester at the University of Palacky in Olomouc. Instead, it is still at home in the U.S. Michigan, writes in Olomouc desperate e-mails and calls to the Interior Ministry.
Clocková is doing as well as dozens of other students who want to come to the Czech Republic to study, but to no avail for weeks waiting for a visa.
Since last January, is the work of immigration police, who had cared for a visa, took over the Interior Ministry officials. He orders the Foreigners Act, enforced by the Minister Radek John (VV). But forwarding the agenda accompanying difficulties.
Some of the application is still lying on the desks of officials, although it should be long settled. "All foreign students who had come to us for the summer semester and needed a visa, they have a problem with it. Either get it or they abstained. And even though he asked the time, some in October or November. It's about twenty students , mainly from U.S., Korea and Turkey, "says Jakub Dürr, Vice-Rector for International Relations University in Olomouc. It is about a third of all foreign students.
Cluttered Offices student was $ 400
Problems reported by two other major universities, Charles University and Masaryk. The Charles University, also waiting in vain for a visa about one third of the invited students.
"Two students withdrew from the program, giving it a few days before departure. One ticket is forfeited, and several others had přebookovat extra ticket," says the director of international programs of Faculty of Arts, Judith Stepnickova.
It eventually did and Kellice Clocková. "Moving to a later date tickets cost me $ 400. Pay no more I can not afford it. It still do not know what my vision is and if I get it. I called the Ministry of Interior, but spoke only Czech," writes from Michigan Clocková.
The University says it is a problem at all to attract students to the Czech Republic. "The term applies to over a hundred thousand. When this discourage them, going instead to study elsewhere in Europe," says Dürr.
The Ministry admits that in 40 cases of delayed processing of visas. They say it can be chaos when picking files. "We took over the agenda of thousands of visas," prevents the Director of the Asylum and Migration Policy Tomas Haisman. Now a team of national officials dealing with the application, enhances the ten officers.
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