Explication of the Visa Issue

To explain the Visa Issue we have. The Governing Body has asked all Branches to stop providing the paper work for people wanting a Religious/Volunteer Worker Visa.They no doubt have a very good reason for this and we accept their decision. It does not mean serving where the need is great is no longer an option - it just means you have to sort the Visa thing out yourself. Here in Ecuador there are various options.

First you need to determine the visa that fits your situation best. Do you have a pension? Are you going to buy a house in Ecuador?  There's a separate visa for each circumstance. So here is some of our options-

Non-immigrant visas come with an expiration date. A year or two usually. They can be renewed in Ecuador prior to expiring with proper documents and fees. You will not be able to work in most instances.

Non-immigrant options include:

• 12-V: Student - (You have to enrolled in a accredited school- oh and attend the classes)
• 12-VI: Work - (Pretty much have to find a job that an Ecuadorian can't do)
• 12-V11: Volunteer or Missionary (not an option for us now)
• 12-VIII: Cultural Exchange (Teaching English or similar- have to have a qualification)
• 12-IX and 12-X: Tourism, Sports (Maybe playing basketball for the Ecuadorian team would work - after all we are all taller than them)

Immigrant visas are issued for an indefinite amount of time. They would only be revoked if you no longer met the visa requirements. If you can find work, you can work on these visas.

Options for the immigrant visa include:

• 10-I: Pensioner (NZ Government won't pay us anything yet - I may have grey hair but still not old enough - this visa is great for North Americans though)
• 10-II: Investment (real estate) (Need to find cheap enough land and then have it revalued (legal here apparently - we're looking)
• 10-III: Investment (industry) (or $25K in the bank for first person and $500 extra for each dependant - we need $26,500 -by far the easiest but at this stage our money is tied up in NZ - however anything could happen so we are hoping!)
• 10-V: Professional (for college graduates) (That's sadly not us)
• 10-VI: Economic Dependence (for family members of applicants of the above visas or for those married to an Ecuadorian citizen or whose child is an Ecuadorian citizen) - (I've asked Amanda and Aaron to take one for the team, but they don't seem so keen- what do you have kids for, I ask you?)

So anyone thinking of "Needgreating" here in Ecuador - hope this helps. It may be a little harder now but the benefits are soooooooo worth it!