Its worth a try...

Well, the first thing I read from this site when I found in google was a post by some guy who met his Colombian girlfriend on the net, decided to share this experience and got absolutely slaughtered by the users.

mmmm...

Im going to admit frankly that I did not join to tell people which termales are better- the ones in Caldas or the ones in Risaraldas or how much it costs to travel from Manizales to Armenia, and how expensive the road tolls are here... no, im being honest, i am not here to write a great travel guide. I need some advice and Im so desparate im looking for it in some web forum. But, well, I have nothing to loose. Perhaps someone can give me useful information, perhaps I can just provide a doorway for witty jibe and jeer.

So here goes...

I wonder if anyone knows about legality, paperwork visas ect.

I have been here for over 6 months, working on getting a work visa. I married my Colombian boyfriend (I felt like I was trying to get information from the CIA about terrorism, the notary people really really wanted to put whatever obstacle they could to stop us from getting married and knew f all about their own job, they enjoyed inventing stories and got upset when they knew they were wrong, like telling me to apostille a document which was written in Spanish and came from Bogota) Anyway, sorry Im not here to rant about how much I dislike the people that work in the notarias. Story is, I have been here for a while, had a company willing to offer me work as an English teacher (this was my desparate position for cash, as I had just arrived from a job in Venezuela where I got paid the national minimum wage and suffered the high inflation along with the rest of the majority), they told me the easiest way to do it was marry my bf and then get the work visa, this way i wouldnt have to leave teh country to get the visa. Mientras tanto, I had already long before decided to go back to the UK for one year to study a Masters, and come back to Colombia afterwards, since private Colombian universities were going to charge me more to study here. Im waiting waiting waiting for this certificate of proporcionality, the day comes, I am ready to go to bogota and start work and the man at the company puts a contract infront of me, which i am not eager to sign because the pay is less than half the amount we had agreed ect and other things in the contract, he starts going on about social security, i get confused, he is impatient (and like most colombians with standing is used to people accepting his word blind "confiar, ten fe" and therefore considers any kind of question as an insult, even if it is the most normal and professional question that one would ask in thh UK- about a contract) so he blows up and says i am disrespecting him for asking questions about the contract and thats it! its all over... 6 months work towards this visa, all the money down the drain. Ok, so this is my question (it wasnt just meant to be a complaining story)... I now have a choice between leaving before my last tourist visa extension expires (not great option because I want to stay here with my love as long as possible) or paying 200 USD for a visa of conyuge, but without right to work... knowing that no one will go through the process, nor is there time, to offer me work for only 3 months... i cannot stay here if i have no money to live or pay the visa cost... sorry, back to teh question, is there any loop hole anyone knows of where i can apply to work as an individual on an hourly basis teaching english here and there, without needing the certificado de proporcionalidad and a year long contract??? or does anyone know of any international companies that require translations online ect so that I could work for a UK company from home in Colombia??? or perhaps someone is best friends with the minister of exterior relations (highly unlikely but always worth a try!?)

PS the Colombian government is doing really well at keeping foreigners out! Congratulations.

Thanks for any useful information you might have.

By francesca on Jun 11, 2008, 08:35 in Visa & paperwork.

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roloenNJ says on Jun 11, 2008, 08:57: Question? would you born in the UK or the US ? Where are you right now? What's you BF immigration status? Resident? Tourist? Illegal? You have to be more especific? Whats you status in the US? A visitor ? 0 funny, 0 helpful.

Gator says on Jun 11, 2008, 09:18: agree, "Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" . 0 funny, 0 helpful.

CatGirl says on Jun 11, 2008, 09:31: Francesca: RolenNJ is correct - you do need to clarify. There are MANY internet based translation services...you can do a simple search and get the names online and apply.....for immediate contacts, I dunno. The US Embassy of Bogota website also had a list of recommended translators (if their new site is finished) - maybe even a UK Embassy will help you? - this might help you network. Again, it is unlcear as to your status AND what your translation abilities are... example - can you tranlsate legal docs? Love and Time: the only two things that cannot be bought, but only spent 0 funny, 0 helpful.

untreated says on Jun 11, 2008, 10:18: Have you considered getting married? Then you could get a "cedula de extranjeria" and work without problems. 0 funny, 0 helpful.

CatGirl says on Jun 11, 2008, 10:30: I think the OP already did "I married my Colombian boyfriend" Love and Time: the only two things that cannot be bought, but only spent 0 funny, 0 helpful.

jonas says on Jun 11, 2008, 11:59: maybe tell us how expensive the road tolls are? Maybe then we`ll get along just fine ;-) What I have, I do not want to lose, but Where I am I do not want to stay, but those I love, I do not want to leave, but those I know I no longer want to see, but Where I die, I do not want to go;I want to stay where I have never been 0 funny, 0 helpful.

dwmte7 says on Jun 11, 2008, 12:00: well, young lady, because you're married to a national, you're entitled to stay. take all the paperwork to das and let them sort it out. as for work....no clue on that one. but lot's of folks here are. don't get too mad at the folks here for playing fun with a few of the posters. just the pbh way of saying hello. no harm intended. actually, it breaks the boredom and monotny (SP) of the many meaningless posts which appear here. dwmte 0 funny, 0 helpful.

jorgegdiaz says on Jun 11, 2008, 12:10: Not at all. I think you started the wrong way. Get the conyugue visa first so you have the right to stay in the country legally (google here the requirements. Letter from your husband, registered marriage certificate and fee if approved). Then go and send resumes, look for a job... whatever... Then you tell them that the only things you need to work are: copy of your contract certificate of proportionality (pain in the ass, but free) Bussines registration (camara de comercio or equivalent for other establishments) Certificate of your capability to perform well on the job (a letter from the employer saying so may suffice) Then go to the ministry again (until now everything was free, and remains free unless you have to pay for the trip to Bogota which your company can do by you signing a power of attorney). The change of visa from CONYUGE wih HOGAR as occupation to CONYUGE with XXX as occupation is free. See?.. very simple and most of it, free ! "To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so."Robert Orben 0 funny, 1 helpful.

dwmte7 says on Jun 11, 2008, 17:03: same with me, esanch...eafit in llano grande asked me to teach there years ago but i had a bar and a restaurant at the time in llano and didn't want a 'real' job. they, at that time, didn't want anything other than my time. i taught english free to the local campesino kids to help them compete with the rich kids. they came 3-4 days a week in the afternoon to the bar and studied there. it was great. dwmte 0 funny, 0 helpful.

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