song of temporary residency, part I

the day started off too good to be true. the security guards were the friendliest I’ve ever seen, the signs in the building were clearly marked and despite my skepticism, the phone call I made over a month ago asking about the procedure to apply for a work visa had in fact put my name on a list thereby assigning me an appointment.

and on the bus I had been given a youth bus pass, meaning 51 shekels for 20 rides instead of 41 sheks for a meager 10 trips, giving me a strong sense that today was my day to beat the system and take the Israeli bureaucracy down (never mind being mildly offended that the bus driver so definitively assumed me to be under 18 that he handed me the kids’ pass and change for my 100 shekel bill without even asking).

regardless, I arrived at misrad hapnim (the infamous ministry of interior) in good spirits, which rose even higher when I saw no trace of the horned, fire-breathing monsters which I had understood would be there to greet all those who had dared come in request of government aid. I found my way upstairs, followed the signs marked “visas” and located the guard armed with a clipboard and today’s list of appointments who confirmed that I was, indeed, marked down for 10:30am. but, since time is relative, he told me to instead wait until my number, 56, was called. it was 10am and the electronic ticker hanging from the ceiling read 31 in bold red lights. luckily, along with the jumble of documents in my bag, I had packed an old edition of The New Yorker magazine.

as I read about the prep school King Abdullah is building in Jordan, I noted that the demographic breakdown of the room was similar to that in the area around the central bus station; fitting, since most the foreign workers in tel aviv (philippino, thai, west african) live in that neighborhood. however, there also seemed to be a disproportioned number of russian speakers, probably a result of the fact that a good number of the russians in israel were considered jewish enough to get here, but not enough to receive full citizenship benefits.

the numbers ticked by slowly and a little before noon, it was my turn. i sat down and told the woman across the desk that I wanted a work visa. she calmly replied that as of 2 weeks ago, the ministry of interior no longer issues work visas. today’s options (for me as a jew) are aliyah or temporary residency status - good for one year and renewable for up to 3. so residency it is. but of course, this requires paperwork.

I filled out all the sheets she handed me, while she photocopied my passport and sponsor letters and pulled up background information on the computer (your mother last visited in august, yes?). i left the building empty handed and now I have to come back in a month with more documents (birth certificate, parent’s ketuba (marriage contract) and my 2^nd grade report card). so stay tuned as the saga continues.