Well, we’ve hit our first wall.
After a flurry of excitement and urges to get our visa submitted for possible expedited approval into Taiwan, we received our application packet back from Taiwan’s Los Angeles office basically unopened. A missed voice mail confirmed they were not going to process our visa at this time. We’ll have to wait until Taiwan officially revises their entry options for long-term visas, something that may not happen until after the Chinese New Year according to very unofficial sources.
Disappointing, but not surprising.
We’re renewing exploration of whether or not we can get into Indonesia on a short-term tourist visa, something that might allow us to go for 90-days or so. The longer-term work visa will take longer to procure, but the process could be started while we’re already there. The difficulty is that if we aren’t successful in securing the work visa in time, and Covid hasn’t relented enough, we’ll be forced to return to the US at the end of our short-term visa since we won’t be able to renew it (a process that requires leaving the country and going to an Indonesian embassy in another country. Prior to Covid this meant a short flight to Singapore and back – an overnight sort of thing. With Covid right now that’s impossible!).
Continue prayers that Covid will subside. Pray for peace for those living in fear of this illness and healing for those affected by it. And pray international travel will become easier in the coming weeks and months!
The Nelson Family Indonesia 