i was getting psyched to see laurent garnier tommorrow...

DATES THIS WEEKEND IN ATLANTA, NEW YORK AND CHICAGO CANCELLED


I’m again not coming for my gigs in the States this weekend. Really believe me I’ve tried everything, but here is what we have to deal with now with the US embassy in Paris.


After obtaining a new passport 2 weeks ago, it was sent directly to the US Embassy.

Since the Iraq conflict, it is totally forbidden to access the premises. You can only send documents by special courier like “Chronopost” (our equivalent to Fedex or DHL).

There is no way you can speak to anybody on the phone, free of charge, unless a matter of life or death!!!!, otherwise you have to pay via credit card 15 Euros (= 15 dollars) for a “recorded” conversation to be able to ask a question !!!!! (believe me we tried it and we only go one person once on the phone for about 10 trials).

So far it is simple !!! ……. But that is nothing.

It says on the Embassy’s web site that a visa takes 5 days to get done… (this was true in the past as I already applied for about 8 visas for the past 10 years, without any trouble).

After waiting for 8 days with no reply whatsoever…(remember it’s impossible to get in touch with them) we then decided to send a fax to ask about my visa, the following day somebody got back on the phone to my agent literally insulting her, asking her who the hell did she think she was to ask things like that !!!!!…

We finally got back my passport this afternoon ….and guess what !!!! it says that my request was incomplete ????

01) My pictures were not conform to the new demand of the US Embassy …they were of course regular passport pictures (sounds pretty obvious doesn’t it) but these don’t work anymore for a US visa in France. They actually now request a very precise size, back drop colour, and format for the pictures, (they now give you a couple of addresses where to go and get those pictures done)………….I got my little ruler out, checked the size, everything is conform regarding size and colour, but they still refused it …..I don’t know but maybe they don’t accept people wearing tee shirts anymore on the photos !!!!! This had never been specified before to me.

02) They now asked me to fill a new form that is compulsory for people living in Iraq, Iran, Libya, Ireland, Syria, North Korea, Sudan, Cuba !!!!!!!

Yes you are not dreaming ………. It looks like France is now either considered as a terrorist ,a communist or a threatening country !!!!!

Here are just a few questions from this form:

-Give all the names of every single country you have visited in the last 10 years, also give the years of each visit (I have roughly thought a minute about this one, each time I’ve been abroad in the past 10 years I would have to put around 900 dates and countries)

-Have you ever been involved in an armed conflict…? (that’s a good one, euhhh not really other than what the television shows me every day…).

-Have you got special experience with explosives, nuclear, chemical, biological weapons? (heuuu sorry I’m French, we make very good Camembert, does that count??).

This form has never EVER been required before…


So here are the facts: I have paid 3400 Dollars !!!(yes you’ve heard right 3400 Dollars) to the US embassy in December 2002 for a visa that they still won’t give me yet.

They did not refuse it, it is more unclear than that, they are just making it impossible for me to receive it…

They were fully aware of my dates of departure ,they only waited until this morning to tell me that they needed new things that they never requested before !!!!!!

Quite frankly I’m getting very sick and pissed off with the situation, and to see that we cannot access the Embassy and have tried to move mountains I’ll never get my visa before next week ……..and even that is not sure.

This is what we have to go through now – is that the price that French artists have to pay because of our government’s position?


Well all I can say is that I hope that one day artists will be free again to travel to the States, but until that date it doesn’t look like
I am going to be able to come over and play records for you.


With regret,

Laurent Garnier

Wow, that really sucks.. International DJs are really gonna be hurting with this now.. Like with Armin not too long ago when he didn't do Exit.. And damn, I didn't know a visa was 3,400$? That's insane......... And imagine him trying to list every place he visited.. I don't think it's possible for them to do that..... Seriously But I'm sure it's impossible to have a law for DJs LOL..

I had to fill out an insane form for security clearance and I had to list every place I visited, lived at, etc... Oh my, I almost pulled all my hair out and almost quit 3 times and said F*CK this job..... And I haven't traveled 1/10000 as much as these guys.... Insane.....

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omfg leaving london was worst my god. I was going to the U.S. and they asked me where I bought my bag and all this shit. I was like dude that was 8 years ago how the hell am I supposed to know.

But dude that sucks, I wish I could help you out

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http://531.am

That really sucks, and if they refuse to give you the visa, they still keep the money. About the questions in the form, I think they ask that to everyone, they've asked me that several times, doesn't matter which passport I travel with.
This reminds me that once I forgot my greencard in college, and when I got to JFK they asked me sooooo many questions, and had 3 cops around me

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Cubano omfg leaving london was worst my god. I was going to the U.S. and they asked me where I bought my bag and all this shit. I was like dude that was 8 years ago how the hell am I supposed to know. But dude that sucks, I wish I could help you out

i have yet to have a BIG problem whilst travelling in or out of the US. They usually do the routine questions and whatnot, but with me, for some strange reason, they are more concerned about my carry on baggage size and how much i declare with customs. i always run into problems when bringing home ciggys and alcohol.
these are the same problems that i had pre sept 11th. and i still get them now.

but to date the biggest problem that i have encountered after september 11th, w/i North America, was coming back from montreal. i stopped at a stop sign and went after i stopped at the customs place and basically i was questioned left and right why i did that and if i had SARS. and one does not even need a passport to cross over the border....

so after reading the above about Garnier, does the same hold true about americans needing a visa to go abroad? b/c after reading the above I am a bit nervous about applying for my student visa..... and that price sounds crazy....

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Kraftwerk. Die Mensch Maschine.
John Donne "Valediction: Forbidding Mourning". Thy firmness makes my circle just, and makes me end where I begun.

Last edited by klingklang77 on Jun-05-2003 at 21:58

quote:

Originally posted by KLINGKLANG77 i have yet to have a BIG problem whilst travelling in or out of the US. They usually do the routine questions and whatnot, but with me, for some strange reason, they are more concerned about my carry on baggage size and how much i declare with customs. i always run into problems when bringing home ciggys and alcohol. these are the same problems that i had pre sept 11th. and i still get them now. but to date the biggest problem that i have encountered after september 11th, w/i North America, was coming back from montreal. i stopped at a stop sign and went after i stopped at the customs place and basically i was questioned left and right why i did that and if i had SARS. and one does not even need a passport to cross over the border.... so after reading the above about Garnier, does the same hold true about americans needing a visa to go abroad? b/c after reading the above I am a bit nervous about applying for my student visa..... and that price sounds crazy....

i'm pretty sure a student visa is very different than a working visa.

i've never experienced any problems leaving or entering the country...

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www.pvdplanet.net

quote:

Originally posted by butterfly i'm pretty sure a student visa is very different than a working visa.

*whew*

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Kraftwerk. Die Mensch Maschine.
John Donne "Valediction: Forbidding Mourning". Thy firmness makes my circle just, and makes me end where I begun.

quote:

Originally posted by butterfly i'm pretty sure a student visa is very different than a working visa.

My student visa last year (before they tightened security even more) cost 1000$. I got it within 2 weeks. Now it would take an uncertain amount of time, since they changed on essential rule: Normally the embassy could grant you the visa after (I think) 10 days if they had not heard anything from Washington about you. Now they have to wait for a security clearing from the US for everyone who applies for a visa, meaning that there is a huge backlog in every embassy.

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I'm really sorry guys, I'm ashamed to live in such a country

All these stories, what a huge load of crap. we're no longer the land of the free, we haven't been for a long time.

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"That's why I don't like Hard House, it's more about the tits than the music"

- Dave Dresden

All I have to say is this is a bunch of crap and really gets me going.

Mel. if you have access to Garnier at all, ask him if you can send a letter on his behalf to your Senator or Congressman... (I strongly reccomend calling Corzine's office they are usually pretty friendly.) That might help the situation some.

I am pretty sure this is probably only the case in France and a select few other countries. I know a lot of ppl. that have no problem getting a VISA and let me tell you they didn't pay even CLOSE to 3400 bucks, so forget that. This really sucks because that means the Bureaucracy has politicized itself which by LAW it isn't supposed to do. Another thing to complain about. (I know I know, welcome to reality, don't worry I am well aware. )

Ugh, enough of this I will only get myself pissed off and it really does me no good.

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quote:

Originally posted by Sir. Lunchalot My student visa last year (before they tightened security even more) cost 1000$. I got it within 2 weeks. Now it would take an uncertain amount of time, since they changed on essential rule: Normally the embassy could grant you the visa after (I think) 10 days if they had not heard anything from Washington about you. Now they have to wait for a security clearing from the US for everyone who applies for a visa, meaning that there is a huge backlog in every embassy.

I actually used to work at the US consulate office when I was living abroad. Trust me, there was a huge backlog even back then ... especially during the summer months when everybody is applying for a student visa. The background checks that we ran on people was a pretty lengthy proccess that was further lengthened if anybody showed up on any watch list for whatever reason. I can't imagine what type of security checks are in place now ... especially for people such as DJ's who travel to numerous countries frequentely. I don't think there would be any problems getting student visas though ...

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