Two Year Residency Permits!

by James 

Today my family did something in Albania that I never believed would ever actually happen. We got our full-time residency permits for the next two years.

When we first arrived in Albania, nearly two years ago, we started the process of being legally registered as volunteer workers in the country. The process was so circuitous and involved that by the time we had our permit cards in our hands last spring, they were already set to expire in three weeks.

So, we were already late for the reapplication process for the next term, which would allow us to stay for another year.

The way Albanian immigration works, an American is allowed to enter the country for one full calendar year, no questions asked. But if they wish to stay longer, and work, they must be registered and accepted as long-term residents. After five years of annual updates, they can apply for "permanent" residence.

So, after spending a full year carrying papers to various offices and notaries and paying about $1,000 in fees, it was disheartening to not even have a moment of rest in the process, which sometimes feels like a part-time job. We hit the streets again and applied our paperwork and stood in offices and signed our names over and over and waited for our turn to be processed. This time, it seemed the cards may not arrive in our hands, once again, until the spring.

But through the grace of God and some friends in and out of the Albanian Immigration Department. We were not only processed 6 months sooner than I expected but we were given TWO-year permits. Meaning, we don't have to worry about this process again until 2026.

It is hard to imagine living in Albania and not having to keep track of where we are in the residency process. It's definitely a huge feeling of freedom and acceptance.

We drove an hour and half to the immigration office in Vlore today (because that is the closest office to our home, and it is only open twice a week, and we went on Thursday but it was closed in celebration of Mother Teresa's Sanctification Day...etc etc) and we walked through the muddy impound lot at the port to the little metal back door at the immigration office and stood in a room crowded with ten or twelve other people all waiting for some mercy from the uniformed officers at the cluttered desks. And after taking our fingerprints and our signed documents, wet with rain water, we were handed five beautiful red and blue ID cards.

On the way back through the port, in the rain, I set my camera up on a mound of dirt and took a family photo under umbrella in what might be mistaken for a construction site. And then later discovered when I arrived home that my camera did not have a camera card in it. So, the photo is lost.

So, join me in celebrating this strange milestone. Praise God that he has given us permission to share in his work here for several more years, at least. And please enjoy this picture I took yesterday of Clara standing at the end of a road, not far from our house. It now feels oddly appropriate for the moment.