One Royal Caribbean performer misplaced their job for over 6 months as a consequence of a visa catastrophe.
Lera, an inventive swimmer from Russia who had labored on Royal Caribbean ships for six years, misplaced a contract when she did not get her visa renewed in time.
While engaged on cruise ships, she had been sharing behind-the-scenes movies of what it is prefer to be a crew member on her social media, along with her YouTube channel amassing almost 9,000 subscribers.
These embrace tiny cabin excursions, a crew-only seashore in Labadee, and crusing on a repositioning cruise with out passengers.
Last yr, she realized her visa was near expiring, so she went to the U.S. Embassy within the Bahamas throughout a port day.
“Spoiler alert: This was the worst resolution ever,” she says in a video shared to her YouTube channel.
Lera booked an appointment for March 25 and introduced all of the required documentation, together with proof of a brand new contract provide.
She claims this interview was totally different in comparison with different ones. She was requested questions on whether or not she was touring to the U.S. for private causes and precisely what number of days she deliberate to be within the nation.
“At the top of the interview, I believed, ‘That’s it. I’m nice. Everything is nice,'” Lera explains. However, she was given a bit of paper and instructed that her documentation wanted to be despatched for administrative processing.
She started researching what administrative processing was, studying that it is an additional background verify. Still, she by no means discovered why her utility was flagged or how lengthy the method would take.
“Believe me, I’m doing all the pieces legally. I’m working with one of many greatest cruise ship corporations on the planet. I by no means break any guidelines,” she remarks.
Unfortunately, her hope rapidly pale when she found a chat with different foreigners going by comparable points — some had been ready for years!
“No visa means no contract, no work, no nothing…My entire life is constructed round my contract”
Reading feedback about different individuals who had been ready 2 to three years consumed her, and Lera began to really feel down. Because she did not have a visa, her subsequent contract was canceled.
“I used to be feeling so unhappy as a result of all people in my forged began receiving contracts,” she says.
Her husband, Mario, additionally refused his contract as a result of they did not wish to spend 10 to 11 months with out seeing one another.
While they wish to cool down and have a household, she claims it is totally different once you’re selecting to make that call versus once you’re compelled to do it.
The final month of her contract wasn’t as joyful as anticipated. Not solely was she crusing by Europe, which was a dream, however her mother and father got here on board.
“I used to be simply so exhausted. I used to be attempting to course of all the pieces…My entire life is acting on a cruise ship,” she confesses.
However, she had accepted her destiny by the very finish, saying that she remembers telling herself to get pleasure from her final present.
Once the contract ended, she returned to Russia and hung out along with her household, however she spent a variety of time mendacity in mattress and excited about her subsequent steps.
With time, she started to really feel higher, celebrating her thirtieth birthday:
“I’m wholesome. I’ve my husband. I’ve my household and associates…I will likely be okay.”
After her birthday, she visited Colombia and stored emailing the Embassy
After six months of ready, she lastly obtained an e-mail instructing her to return to the Bahamas, however not revealing whether or not she would obtain her visa or not.
Initally, Lera booked an Airbnb for 5 days. Because of the prolonged course of, although, she spent over two weeks within the Bahamas. She could not go away as a result of the Embassy had her passport.
“Honestly, these two weeks [were] the worst,” she says. Since she wasn’t there on trip, she was continually anxious.
She lastly obtained her passport however was upset to study that she had solely been granted one visa. Lera did not get the visa wanted to journey to Miami, Florida, for rehearsals. Royal, nevertheless, assured her that all the pieces needs to be nice.
She received a contract to work aboard Allure of the Seas
Lera was excited to be working aboard Allure of the Seas, an Oasis Class ship that simply re-entered service after a $100+ million revitalization. Still, after getting the visa and contract, she felt all the pieces was too good to be true.
With rehearsals scheduled to start in late February, she began planning her life round her new contract. Her intestine feeling was proper, as she obtained an e-mail saying immigration guidelines had modified, and she or he could not journey to Florida and not using a vacationer visa.
Lera claims she’s the “most controlling individual ever,” but she had no management over her life.
She felt fortunate that Royal wished to proceed working along with her
Instead of revoking her contract, Royal agreed to let Lera journey straight to Allure. She was supposed to depart on the finish of March forward of Allure’s April 11 voyage, however she wanted to acquire a Schengen visa.
This added one other difficult layer to her already tight journey timeline, particularly since she says that proper now is not the very best time for Russian residents to acquire visas. Because she was nonetheless in Colombia, she wanted to return to Russia to use.
“I do not know who cursed me. Please, are you able to carry that curse? I can’t deal with this anymore,” she half-joked.
After making use of for the visa, she was caught in yet one more limbo, ready for the nation to return her passport.
Though that they had confirmed her passport had been mailed, they did not disclose whether or not she was granted the proper visa. Without the Schengen visa, she could not work on Allure of the Seas, which is the place her husband is working.
In the meantime, she tried to maintain herself busy by rehearsing utilizing movies despatched to her of the choreography, using her telephone and laptop computer to observe the opposite casts’ actions.
“I’m attempting to maintain my head excessive and hoping that I’ll get the Schengen visa,” Lera says.
She does not finish the video on a damaging be aware
With hopeful music enjoying within the background, Lera opens up a bundle containing her passport. She’s shaking and scared.
However, she rapidly breaks down into tears when she realizes she received the required Schengen visa.
“I didn’t anticipate to react like that…I’m going to a ship!” she fortunately remarks. If you are crusing on Allure of the Seas this summer season, preserve an eye fixed out for Lera, who is able to return to work on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship!