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You are here: Home / Reflections on Life / Expat Adventures / Being an Expat / Setbacks and frustrations | Migration Tales

Setbacks and frustrations | Migration Tales

12th November 2017 By Jonelle 17 Comments

I don’t want this blog to be my go to place to moan about how shit South Africa is. Yes there are lots of issues here but I have had a good life here. I came here in 2003 and I loved it so much that it became home for over a decade. I’ve had some really good times here. It’s the country I felt I belonged in, the country that I felt at home. I met my husband here, we built a life together, we started a family together. I had my son, I nearly died but it’s the healthcare system in this country that saved me. If I was back home and had the complications I had, I no doubt would have died. I am thankful to South Africa for taking me in, for saving me, for letting me belong.

But today, I’m fucking pissed off.

I’ve been waiting to get my visa from Immigration New Zealand (INZ). I know that I qualify according to their criteria for a visa. I know there’s no good reason to reject my application… except for one small detail. The incompetency of HOME AFFAIRS South Africa.

My step father waited for SEVEN years for his paperwork to come through enabling him to live and work in this country. They lost his applications several times over the course of that period and we are no stranger to the incompetence of that department. The president keeps changing the Minister of Home Affairs but none of them actually seem to know what the department is supposed to actually do.

I applied for a birth certificate in APRIL this year. I’ve been waiting ever since.

I got told I need to go back in and fill in forms which I did.

A few weeks later I was told I need to go back in and fill in forms.

When I queried what forms, I was told it was the SAME forms I’d filled in before.

So of course I asked why would I need to do that again and I tweeted the Home Affairs twitter account. I sent them an email which was forwarded on and the next morning at 7:15am I got a call explaining that although it SEEMS like these forms are the same they actually aren’t so okay, I agreed I’d go in and fill in these new forms. Of course when I got there, BAM, it’s the same fucking forms.

I was so angry but to my surprise so was the lady who helped me.

She immediately emailed a bunch of people asking for this matter to be escalated. I was copied in on the email. A week later I followed up – NO RESPONSE.

I called in again – nothing had been done and they were waiting on Pretoria. So now, it’s been escalated again.

Anyway, SO I applied for my New Zealand Visa using my passport that was brand new with the glaring error stating that I was born here. Of course on my forms, I fill in that I was born in Swaziland – because that’s where I was born.

A few weeks after that INZ asks for proof of how I’m South African because of this error on my passport and the fact that I had stated I’m born in Swaziland. So I send off copies of my Swazi birth certificate which shows the names of both my parents and that they are both born in South Africa. I attach copies of my ID document as well as that of my dad’s and my mom’s. I kept my fingers crossed that would have been enough.

BAM!

On Friday I get the call which I miss, along with an email stating that I need a new passport as my passport is invalid.

MY PASSPORT IS INVALID through NO fault of my own. I’ve tried to get a new one issued with the correct place of birth on it. I’ve tried to get my South African birth certificate which they “can’t find” but I’m entitled to as a citizen.

The best part of it all is that I have TWO WEEKS to submit a new passport to INZ and when I called Home Affairs I was told it takes SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR to amend a document that I didn’t fuck up in the first place.

The cherry on the cake was when she asked me in an angry tone “why didn’t I get this sorted out before” and um, I HAVE TRIED AND IT COMES BACK WRONG!!!

I can’t actually believe this is happening.

So now I don’t know what will happen but I’m going to see an immigration lawyer tomorrow in the hope that he has some sort of magic power to help us get this sorted out in time to leave this year but realistically, that date is floating away from us… who knows when it will happen!

I’m so angry about it and all the cliché’s about “THIS IS AFRICA” come rushing to my head and it’s not something I’m okay with.

It really FEELS like the freaking third world when I’m told it will take me a year to get an updated passport that THEY messed up!! And that’s not the Africa I love!!! But it is and I’m obviously the abused girlfriend who doesn’t realise this isn’t love.

I can’t deal with this right now! I can’t stop bloody crying from frustration.

Please help me spam them to get this done in time!! 

[bctt tweet=”@HomeAffairsSA can you please give Jonelle her amended passport!! ” username=”tyrannyofpink”]

Filed Under: Being an Expat, Blog, Making Changes Tagged With: going to New Zealand, leaving South Africa, let me go, life choices, migration, moving countries, moving to New Zealand

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Simone Cameron says

    14th November 2017 at 2:08 pm

    Oh my word…how frustrating! I hope somehow this can be sorted out in time.

    Reply
    • TyrannyofPink says

      17th November 2017 at 9:02 am

      Thank you! <3

      Reply
  2. Mommabeartrax says

    13th November 2017 at 8:14 am

    I’m so sorry. This is all just so so terrible and unacceptable. It’s quite shocking how incompetent HA has become. Like,what on the actual fck?! I pray that lawyer will have some clout and ability to turn this around for you. Xxxx

    Reply
    • TyrannyofPink says

      13th November 2017 at 9:45 am

      Thanks my love! I don’t even understand how it’s possible to be so useless as a department. How can it take a year to fix a mistake that they made!! This is beyond ridiculous! Thank you for your kind words <3

      Reply
  3. Diana Studer says

    12th November 2017 at 11:45 pm

    Hopefully the immigration lawyer can get you sorted.

    Reply
    • TyrannyofPink says

      13th November 2017 at 9:39 am

      I really hope so! Thank you Diana!

      Reply
  4. Melissa Javan says

    12th November 2017 at 3:21 pm

    Sjoe girl. Good luck

    Reply
    • TyrannyofPink says

      13th November 2017 at 9:38 am

      Thanks Melissa!!

      Reply
  5. Celeste Jonkers says

    12th November 2017 at 12:12 pm

    “Do hers” = fingers. Auto correct ? lol

    Reply
  6. Celeste Jonkers says

    12th November 2017 at 12:10 pm

    I’m so sorry to hear this. Will be keeping my do hers crossed for a miracle.

    On the other hand I totally feel you on Home Affairs and how incompetent they are. I have applied for my son’s birth certificate twice and they managed to mess it up every time. They had ones job and that was to change his last name. I’m dreading going back but I have to.

    Reply
    • TyrannyofPink says

      13th November 2017 at 9:37 am

      Thank you Celeste! I honestly don’t understand how it’s possible for them to be this incompetent. Like how is this your job, your only job and you can’t do it? It’s beyond frustrating!!

      Reply
  7. Bonnie says

    12th November 2017 at 11:19 am

    So sorry my love. Home Affairs suck! They really are the most incompetent department to have to deal with. I just have to have faith that all will come right for you. Love you as big as the sky ❣???

    Reply
    • TyrannyofPink says

      13th November 2017 at 9:36 am

      Thank you mom! Love you <3

      Reply
  8. ChevsLife says

    12th November 2017 at 11:06 am

    It is all kinds of fucked up! The dead gets exceptional service from the department. Their paperwork is ready and registered within days if not hours! Yet they are dead, while the living waits and waits and waits and wait some more.

    Reply
    • TyrannyofPink says

      12th November 2017 at 11:06 am

      I HATE how true that is. I hate a lot about it. I hate this backward attitude…like oh we are Africa so we can all just be shit. I hate so much today!!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Are the sacrifices really worth it? | Migration Tales - Tyranny of Pink says:
    20th March 2018 at 10:27 am

    […] I’ve filled in the same forms three times. I’ve filled in new forms. I’ve even reg… […]

    Reply
  2. The undeniable value of putting yourself first - Tyranny of Pink says:
    12th March 2018 at 7:02 pm

    […] on me because I’ve become increasingly aware of how depressed I’m getting. The more trials and tribulations I experience with Home Affairs, the harder it is to be happy in my day-to-day life. A life where if I’m honest, it’s […]

    Reply

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