MartyConnelly
martyconnelly at shaw.ca
Mon Mar 10 13:46:00 CST 2003
I would complain (umm... make a request for clarification or advice) to the Head Office rather than locally. "Better to complain to the organ grinder than the monkey". This is an English aphorism referring to street buskers who would play a portable windup organ and have a little monkey running around with a cup to collect spare change. Here is the mailing address for Ministry in the Hague The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Visitors Address: Bezuidenhoutseweg 67, The Hague tel. +31 70 3486486; fax. + 31 70 3484848; The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Postal Address: PO Box 20061 2500 EB The Hague Or email complaint page http://www.minbuza.nl/default.asp?CMS_ITEM=5A764C199D984EB288FB2B58766A3E25X2X55346X5 or If you have any questions, please check the Frequently Asked Questions first. If you have still not found an answer to your question, then you can call the Communication department on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on +31 (0)70 370 3124. see: in english Visa Applications http://www.immigratiedienst.nl/ Probably a phone call to their communication department in external affairs for clarification would quickly resolve the matter. They aren't clear on their forms about very short business trips or actually working for a company on a 3 month contract or a business man who goes to Holland to solicit business and takes along his wife so she can shop or sitesee or a technician who goes to Holland to repair a machine. A 10 minute phone call to Europe from Canada only costs a little over a dollar, I don't know about your costs. Also when you applied, Holland was going through a National election where one of the major topics was Illegal Immigration and assylum seekers. So there may have been political direction to be hesitant or over zealous in the checking of visas, to avoid political embarassment to the powers that be, during the election period. This wasn't hard for me to check up. I was a Civil (Silly) Servant for a few years and can find my way around . You do learn skills as a civil servant. Things like reading upside down and backwards so you can read a letter on a desk you are not supposed to see. I can carry two passports EU and Canadian and still get into trouble over there with the regulations. Shamil Salakhetdinov wrote: >THNX for your info Marty! >Very much appreciated! > > > >> it isn't worth the hassle to complain >>about some minor functionary or bureaucrat >> >> >OK, I decided to reapply for the Visum if they are asking to do so but I'd >like to have some documents left on my hands(unfortunately I didn't make the >copy of the first Visa application) > >I'd like to write a letter to the head of the Consulate-General with request >for their help of solving this small misapprehension ASAP - how should I >proceed with them to let me to pass this letter to him and to allow me to >meet with him/his representative and to officially register my letter with >help request and explanation (my vision) of situation (of course without any >complaints)? > > > >>filling in a Green Card lottery form for permanent >>residence in US (odds 1:100) >> >> >You propose me to immigrate to the States? A plenty of work there and a room >for five people? - I still prefer to stay here in Russia and find a way to >freely travel around the World - should be doable but needs some time to >solve this without immigration to the States... > >Shamil > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "MartyConnelly" <martyconnelly at shaw.ca> >To: <accessd at databaseadvisors.com> >Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2003 4:48 AM >Subject: Re: [AccessD] OT: "Chevaux de frise" of free world... > > > > >>I would write it off as the cost of doing business, it isn't worth the >>hassle to complain about some minor functionary or bureaucrat who >>probably doesn't understand all the rules and is too afraid to ask. I >>have run into the same thing with Canadian External Affairs in embassies >>overseas and got into arguments, only to find out it was local citizens >>handling the Visa sections run by one Canadian national who was too busy >>to oversee them what with all his demands of having to attend functions >>at the local Jockey club and golf course. Lodging a complaint against >>External Affairs is generally useless unless you threaten them with a >>press expose or high political action from their minister. >> I would get your partner to complain through his Dutch member of >>parliament, if you really >>wanted to raise the issue further. >> >> By the way the here is a description and cost of a Schengen Visa plus a >>pdf of the form from Dutch >>embassy in Washington. >> >>http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/article.asp?articleref=AR00000396EN >> >> Of course you could always expend some time filling in a Green Card >>lottery form for permanent residence in US (odds 1:100) rather than >>expending the time on a complaint. Better to light a candle than curse >>the darkness. >> >> http://www.usnis.org/ >> >> I have got my own back at times on Immigration types, once in Lagos >>Nigeria I was asked for >>dash ,mordida or baksheesh; to expedite my getting out of the country at >>the airport. So I reached into my throwdown wallet (in case of robbery) >>and pulled out a fistfull of Canadian Tire money >>(these are discount coupons that look like money in amounts of 10 cents >>through a dollar put out >>by an a Canadian Automotive chain store) explained to the guy I didn't >>have US cash but here was >>Canadian money. I could barely keep a straight face. >> >>Shamil Salakhetdinov wrote: >> >> >> >>>Hi All, >>> >>>I'm sorry I'm writing about that here - I just went very crazy today >>> >>> >about > > >>>what they - Western Embassies and Consulates here and their bosses in Den >>>Haage (Netherlands) are doing... >>> >>>Here is a fresh story: >>> >>>- I applied for business Visum (15 days of staying, one entry) several >>> >>> >days > > >>>ago for me and my two children(15 and 17 years old) (IMPORTANT NOTE: >>> >>> >here > > >>>in Consualate General they ACCEPTED this application for BUSINESS visum >>> >>> >and > > >>>they checked all the docs carefully) - to make that I prepared all the >>>needed paperwork, get original invitation from my partner from >>> >>> >Netherlands > > >>>(DHL, second day delivery = rather expensive), even changed the passports >>> >>> >to > > >>>make them fresh new (some more bucks) because at first they said that the >>>ones I had aren't good, PAID for their "services"(not that much but >>> >>> >should > > >>>be enough for a rather good dinner for three I think) and I started to >>>wait... >>>And BTW I spent quite some time on all that prepations and quite some >>>bucks in total... >>> >>>Do you know what answer I've got today? (in fact my Netherland's partner >>> >>> >was > > >>>called from Den Haage - Ministry of Foreign Affairs) - they said I should >>>have applied for TOURISTIC not BUSINESS visum because I plan to go with >>> >>> >my > > >>>kids but as I mentioned above here they CHECKED all the docs and ACCEPTED >>>them... >>> >>>Should I fight with them looking for truth with the risk to be written in >>>their "black lists" forever? >>>Or should I give up and accept the "rules" of their game? - there is a >>> >>> >whole > > >>>business around them here - and one (including any kinds of criminals >>> >>> >etc.) > > >>>can buy for money any kind of Visum and freely enter West Europe or >>> >>> >States > > >>>or Canada... >>> >>>I wanted to make it direct and according to all the laws and I didn't >>> >>> >want > > >>>to pay to the "shadow business around them" any extra money - and I've >>> >>> >got > > >>>NOTHING - or I'd better say I and my partner in Netherlands got real >>>mockery... And they were harsh not only with me - they were that hostile >>>with my Netherland's partner too - how it comes? >>> >>>Shamil >>> >>>P.S. I know, probably Russian Embassies do something like that there in >>> >>> >West > > >>>Europe - but should it justify what they are doing here these ambassadors >>> >>> >of > > >>>"civilized" free world? >>> >>>-- >>>e-mail: shamil at smsconsulting.spb.ru >>>Web: http://www.smsconsulting.spb.ru/shamil_s >>> >>> >>>_______________________________________________ >>>AccessD mailing list >>>AccessD at databaseadvisors.com >>>http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd >>>Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>_______________________________________________ >>AccessD mailing list >>AccessD at databaseadvisors.com >>http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd >>Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >> >> > >_______________________________________________ >AccessD mailing list >AccessD at databaseadvisors.com >http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd >Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com > > >