It Might Be Sooner than 90 Days

Well, well, well. I made an inquiry into my visa situation at a non-government organization that helps foreigners in Slovakia with their visas. Specifically, I asked them how long this process usually takes.

The organization is called The International Organization for Migration. They have what’s called a Migration Information Center which helps foreigners in Slovakia to understand the visa process. Yesterday I sent an email to them to see if I could find out just how long I could expect to have to wait for my visa. Here’s a quote from their response:

Foreign police shall decide upon your application for permanent residence within 90 days since its submission. It means that it might be sooner than 90 days. However, you need to be prepared for the option that it will takes exactly 90 days until the foreign police will decide upon your application.

When I left Slovakia I had no idea how long this would take. When they told me what they needed to do (complete one form) I thought it would take a few hours. When I asked them how long it would take, they didn’t give much of an answer. They said, “Three days a week we deal with people in person so we don’t get much paperwork done. And you see how many people we have coming through here, and next Thursday is a holiday.” Based on the fact that there were three of us waiting in line and her comment about the holiday the next week, I had the impression that it would be one week–tops.

I’m sure it won’t take 90 days. They began processing my paperwork in July and they completed everything but my FBI ID record. Plus another American got her visa in three weeks. Still, it seems pretty clear that they’re in no hurry.