“Naomi Carter?” she said through the round speaker on her desk.

“That’s me,” I said, stepping up to the counter window.

I passed my passport, David’s printed job offer and the three housing verification forms through the narrow stainless-steel tray.

She leafed through the pages in a quick, practiced rhythm, checking each stamp against a printed checklist on her clipboard.

“Standard visa processing takes fourteen business days,” she said without lifting her eyes from the paperwork.

“I asked for the expedited corporate transfer,” I said.