$60K

After busting my butt to clean and prep our house for our renters to move in this weekend, I sat down to rest from hard days working and developing pneumonia. While resting, I was checking my email wherein I received an email from Mr. Reid of the New Zealand consulate.

To understand this email exchange, one must understand the context:

When an individual applies for a student visa for New Zealand, the student is required to have $15,000 in "cash" to prove one can provide for him or herself for a year.

Children, coming with their parents, are required to file a student visa.

Intimately knowing the world of paperwork, I automatically assumed this would mean $15,000 per person. There was no way would could find or fund this at this time....particularly since the funding I was promised would NOT be available to me.

With the encouragement of Ryan, I called the NZ immigration consulate and asked some clarifying questions. Was my assumption correct? I was told no,  it's case by case and that I should call VAC (the private company processing applications).

I called.

When I called, I was told children are an appendage to their parents and since Ryan was applying for a work option visa we did not need to worry about having $15,000 per student visa.

We began our applications believing the answer was true.

Two weeks ago, I submitted our applications according to the immigration checklist and visa guide.

After our applications had been returned to us on Monday claiming "missing information" and a paragraph concerning our ability to provide for our children, I wrote an email asking several clarification questions. 

Mr Reid, the author of the 'Monday Letter,' emailed me this afternoon. He explained the rule is $15,000 per person and the instructions I had been given were incorrect. But, if I wanted to talk about it more,  I could call or email him.

We haven't spoken on the phone yet.....although I did send him another email explaining what I had been told.

He asked for my number, and has not called.

As of right now, we would need $60,000 available funding to be awarded our visas. I only have half of the required amount.

I am feeling completely disappointed, humiliated, and slightly betrayed.

Misinformation has happened twice during this process: once with the University of Wakaito and now with the NZ Consulate in LA. 

Ryan called Air New Zealand and received a credit for our already scheduled flights.

Now, we are completely lost, homeless and "stuff"less.