Sunday, September 11, 2011

Visa Trip to Hong Kong

Bob the Frink and JJ always used to joke that I have the gift of being able to charm anyone into doing what I want using my Chinese. I used that this last week, I discovered that the Chinese visa officer was Chinese and not Hong Kong (meaning she speaks non accented fluent Chinese) and used it to my advatnage. When I went to Hong Kong to get my visa the lady had an exchange that went something like this:

(English / Chinese)
[China] "You're missing a form"
[Wildling King] "Oh really? What is it?"
[China] "It's a blue form. Do you have a blue form?"
[Wildling King] "I don't have anything blue, what is the name of it?"
[China] "It's the Workers Expert Approval Permission of Foreign Working Permissory Certification for Foreign Workers Permission Form."
[Wildling King] "I don't know that, do you mean the (switch to Chinese) working permit"
[China] "Yes, the working permit"
[Wildling King] "No, I don't have one of those. I was told I don't need it."
[China]"You don't need it? Are you sure?"
[Wildling King] "Yes, it's strange really. I got my Z visa and worker's permit with no problem the last 2 years, but this year they said I was too young. Isn't that silly? Will in any case, they said with my new company I just need an F visa, so I don't even NEED the worker's permit."
[China]"Is that right?"
[Wildling King]"Yes, I don't need it."
[China] "Are you sure?"
[Wildling King] "Yes."
[China] "Well okay then" *stamps documents and proceeds to approve my passport* "Come back tomorrow to pick it up! Thank you."



I walked away thinking, "Did that really work? Did I just tell the visa officer what the rules were for getting a visa and tell her what she could accept?". It was unreal hilarious in retrospect. I checked the rules, and I was right about not needing it for an F Visa, but that doesn't change how hilarious it was when she looked at me full of self-doubt and said "Oh is that right? Oh okay *stamp stamp*, come back tomorrow!"

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