Rahul Venkit

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Message from India to the world: Visa reciprocity, please?

3/12/2014

29 Comments

 
Picture
A conference table spread of the supporting documents I submitted for a recent 2-year UK visa that cost me 512 euros.
Geography is history. 

Depending on where you are from and what passport you hold, you will either agree with this statement or - like me - think it is utter gobbledygook.

India recently expanded a visa-on-arrival scheme to include 43 countries – among them Australia, Brazil, Germany and the US.

The liberalized visa regime will eventually be extended to 180 countries, aimed to help India improve its dismal record in attracting international tourist visits and to boost business and investment.

As a proud Indian and a believer in efficient processes, I cannot be happier for my foreign comrades. Bravo, I say. 

But before we hand out congratulatory high-fives all around, may I be so audacious as to point out something? I’m confident I speak on behalf of many Indians when I do so.

I’m talking about the simple, time-honored concept of reciprocity and, more specifically, the lack thereof.

The world may be becoming a global village. And, indeed, people may be travelling beyond borders more than ever before. 

But let’s not fool ourselves – for many there are also more bureaucratic barriers to international travel than ever before. It’s just that those that can travel easily have been too busy taking their privilege for granted to notice.

We live in a world where if you’re lucky enough to be born in the right place, you can pretty much waltz into any country that tickles your fancy. But heaven knows if you’re from the developing world, you don’t have the luxury of being as spontaneous. 

Even as the Narendra Modi government seems to be moving full steam ahead in implementing reform that will benefit foreigners visiting India, for many Indians, these countries cannot take reciprocal steps soon enough.

For the curious, if you don’t hail from a rich country, there is an all-too-familiar-yet-ever-strenuous process before being allowed to set foot abroad.

The following are some of the standard documents one needs to compile:
- travel itineraries
- hotel reservations
- invitation letters
- official letters of undertaking
- proof of insurance
- recent salary documentation
- bank statements
- tax clearance certificates
- letters from your employer
- your host's immigration, employment and financial details 

Indeed, a supporting documents check-list can be virtually endless.

If you’re really lucky - like me - you'll even be asked to provide police clearance certificates. That's where the thumb rule "innocent until proven guilty" is thrown out of the window. The fact that even to this day one is presumed to be a criminal until you produce documents from the police stating otherwise beggars belief. 

THE DIRTY FOUR-LETTER WORD

Why all the trouble? It all boils down to the dirty four-letter word: visa.

In the developing world, visas are accepted as a fact of life. In countries like India and China, the quest for this necessary evil has spawned an entire industry of agents and advisers who collect and push your papers for you. 

People spend less time asking why they need to go through the colossal pain and more time wondering how best to fulfil ever-stricter requirements. It can strike us as unfair, humiliating and a bureaucratic nightmare, but we try (as far as possible) not to take it personally.

Many have the art of visa applications down to a science. Some even approach it as a competitive sport. Yet there’s always a lingering tension – will you get your visa or won’t you? All sorts of worries, some more rational than others, plague your mind. 

Is your bank balance big enough? Will some mean-spirited visa officer who had a bad breakfast that morning or a fight with the spouse the night before take it all out on your application? Will you end up becoming a sorry statistic? After all, embassies must have rejection targets too. 

If the anxiety fails to age you horribly, the treatment meted out to you in embassies never fails to make you feel like a worm and/or a fool for wanting to set foot in another country. 

Nevertheless, the drama is considered part of the build-up to any trip abroad. Should you get your passport back with a shiny visa sticker in it, you rejoice, pump your fists in the air and praise the lord. 

Nothing makes you cherish a journey more than an arduous visa application process. Any one from the developing world will tell you so.

If you are denied a visa, however, you hope and pray that the embassy staff don't add insult to injury by treating you like dirt while returning your passport.

GLOBAL TRAVEL: A RIGHT OR A PRIVILEGE?

Are current visa rules for people from developing countries reflective of a changing global reality? While illegal emigration is a legitimate global concern, should tourist visas be as big a problem?

No one denies that in every country there are an unscrupulous few who abuse the system, overstay their visas or “vanish” once abroad, some Indians being no exception. 

But should a few rotten apples make life difficult for all 1.2 billion Indians?

Surely, the answer cannot be painting a fifth of humanity with the same broad brush. There must be smarter ways of distinguishing between genuine travelers and those seeking to run away.

Given India’s large population, there need to be checks and balances, of course, and no one expects full reciprocity outright. But, for starters, can the visa system for emerging nations not be made more efficient and less troublesome? That is the question.

Especially keeping in mind that despite the recent global slowdown, countries like China and India boast GDP growth rates that debt-ridden Europe and the US can only dream of. 

Inflation and equitable distribution of wealth remain major challenges. Yet the middle class in emerging nations is expanding quickly, as is their disposable income. A culture of being thrifty also means developing country folks often have substantial savings stashed away for a rainy day.

Emboldened by this economic progress, emerging nations are slowly but surely flexing their muscles on the global stage. They are certainly less tolerant when pushed around.

A case in point: after the US removed Brazil from its visa waiver program, Brazil in 2004 returned the favor by demanding visas from and fingerprinting visiting US citizens. 

In late 2010, the UK decided its embassy in Brussels would no longer entertain visa applications from people living in Belgium, directing them to Paris instead. So India reciprocated half a year later by refusing to process visas for UK nationals in Belgium, directing them to London instead. 

As of mid-2014, the UK restarted accepting visa applications in Brussels... in an office open two mornings a week and at an additional cost of 75 Euros.

Are such tit-for-tat measures the solution? Not in the long run since they would lead to protectionism and be detrimental to growth. 

But in the short term, it seems to be giving more and more first-world citizens – many of whom are amusingly clueless about the concept of visas – their first taste of travel bureaucracy. 

It can come as a rude shock. Even a reminder that something they might have confused over time for a right is, in fact, a privilege.

YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT BAD?

Most from the developing world would find the “retaliatory” visa process for first-world citizens a joke since it’s largely a formality and not even a fraction of the pain they go through. 

For example, if your country isn’t yet part of India’s e-visa scheme, all that’s basically asked is a valid passport, local residence card, completed application form, photos and money. 

Though, lately, Indian visa centers abroad are demanding proof of residence dating back two years, which is tough when you've just moved to a new city. And if you happen to be a journalist, things can take longer even if your trip is purely for pleasure. 

Still, when the first world complains when they apply for visas, it can be most fascinating for people from the developing world. Do they really expect sympathy?

“I just paid 53 Euros for my visa to India. What the deuce?!” Well, it’s 60 Euros in India for a Schengen visa, not mentioning how much time and money I spend to put together all the supporting documents. You mostly get a 90-day Indian visa while I'm likely to get one valid for exactly the number of days I can prove I have accommodation in Europe. 

The UK makes no apologies for their overt money-driven visa policies. Their cheapest visa is 110 Euros. For the US, you are charged a flat US$160 and can be given up to a 10-year multiple-entry visitor's visa if your papers are in order. However, the UK has stratified fee bands with its 10-year visa costing a cool 973 Euros or US$1,215. 

It's clearly all about the money. So does 53 Euros still sound bad?
 
“They asked my mother’s maiden name for my visa application. How ridiculous!” Yeah, the nerve! When I applied for a US visa, I had to list not just my parents' names but also their birthdays, mention every asset I owned, every job I've had, every country I've ever visited, etc, in a form 15-pages long. But they asked you your parents’ names? What is the world is coming to?

THE REAL OUTRAGE

To be fair, one cannot blame first-world citizens for not knowing about something they've never had to deal with. And it is indeed a pity that the innocent invariably get caught up in the diplomatic crossfire between two worlds. 

Not to forget, things are slowly but surely changing for Indians as well, with up to 50 countries and territories now offering us visas on arrival. Last week, France announced it would open 8 new visa centers in India and process applications within 48 hours. One can only hope more nations follow suit.

Let’s also keep in mind that it’s all relative. Indians may complain about their passport being unwelcome, but imagine what people from perennially troubled and war-torn countries must feel when they want to travel.  

In the interim, however, rich country folks who count their blessings instead of complaining about having to get visas gain my respect. 

Those who realize their visa application process is still a cakewalk, not a tightrope, are true global citizens.

Travel-related bureaucracy may never fully disappear, so we all might as well get used to it. 

For now, however, some are more equal than others. It's only an outrage if first-world citizens find it difficult to apply for visas to developing countries and not vice-versa.

Perhaps it’s only an outrage when it happens to you.

(A version of this article appeared on The Globalist, followed by another shortened version on NDTV.com).

29 Comments
Rahul Venkit link
30/10/2011 06:09:46 pm

PS: I often joke that despite having an Indian passport, I have lived and worked in 4 foreign countries so far and visited quite a few more. It's funny because it's true.

On some levels, I understand many of the measures foreign countries take to restrict the inflow of Indians.

We're more than a billion people. If any first-world country lets us in, we're too polite to say, "No thanks." We'll go and do so in overwhelming numbers.

We have already made our presence felt in many parts of the UK (some call it the revenge of the empire), the US, UAE, Australia, Singapore… you name it.

These days, a majority of first-generation Indian immigrants abroad are the cream of the crop. And the reason they're there is because countries or companies need their high-end skills.

Yet we cannot be blind to some countrymen trying to take a short cut and enter illegally. Here in Brussels, whenever I go to the Indian embassy, I come across people who cannot speak any language apart from their regional dialect, let alone Hindi, English or French.

I was once requested to fill out a form for someone who could not spell "spelling". You cannot make such stuff up.

While illegal emigration is a legitimate fear for the first world, should tourist visas be as big a concern? The bottom line is rotten apples that abuse the system make life difficult for us all.

Reply
Doro Hamel
30/10/2011 10:09:12 pm

Haha, good one Rahul, I could also testify and show that even from France I had to sit for hours and hours in the immigration office to get my Mexican visa...
In France beforehand (which, I have to admit, was quite easy), but then in Mexico, and there, it wasn't a piece of cake, took me a lot of patience and papers, but finally managed to become a legal semi-immigrant.
:)
Doro Xx

Reply
shekhar pimpalkhare
30/10/2011 11:01:56 pm

This is reflective of sentiments of a lot of people here in India .... It's all to do with economics I think ..... People from developing nations are seen as underdogs and most often treated as such ......all said and done genuine cases generally get the visa ...

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Rahul Venkit link
31/10/2011 05:05:01 am

Doro: Congrats on getting your visa! Let me know if Mexicans sympathize with you when you tell them your story. I suspect they'll have far worse horror stories to share about trying to enter France. ;)

Shekhar: Good to hear from you. Agreed it's all about economics. It'll be interesting to see what visa rules will be like in 100 or 200 years as the global balance of power continues shifting east.

Reply
Ex-Expat
4/11/2011 04:08:44 am

I feel your pain. I'm in the "other group", a small European country. Have visited around 50 countries, only 3 of them (India, Russia, Thailand) needed a visa application before entry. Plenty more had visa-on-entry for a small fee (€20 or less), but most have been free and easy.

When I lived in India I first encountered visa troubles (first nearly 6, then over 3 months waiting for my 1 year Visa extension to be processed), and my wife was nearly banned from entering UAE because her passport didn't have the same pretty color as mine (Transit visa was denied, but after 7 hours waiting for next flight the next shift took pity on us and "allowed" us a to buy a visa+hotel for 4 days for only 400€. I got a 14 day visa for free, of course).

Reply
Rahul Venkit link
4/11/2011 04:24:13 am

Hello Ex-Expat: Very interesting experiences.

It's indeed a charmed life for some depending on which passport they hold.

But as more developing countries start pushing back against what they view as unfair treatement, people both from worlds will be able to share a hatred for travel bureaucracy.

And hopefully even give each other support. :)

Reply
Rahul Venkit link
4/11/2011 04:26:47 am

Hello Ex-Expat: Very interesting experiences.

It's indeed a charmed life for some depending on which passport they hold.

As more developing countries start pushing back against what they view as unfair treatment, people both from worlds will be able to share a hatred for travel bureaucracy.

And hopefully even give each other support.

Reply
P-Jimmy
16/11/2011 02:53:12 am

Rahul, very well put. But what I would like you to muse about, is the absurdity of trying to generate a visa to a 3rd country, when you're living in a foreign country as an ex-pat. Curious for your thoughts on that!

Reply
Selsdon1
16/11/2011 11:42:03 pm

I prefer you with the moustache. It's badass.

Reply
Rahul Venkit link
17/11/2011 09:14:37 am

Hey P-Jimmy: Ah, yes. Another child of from the same evil family. Why make things simple when they can be complicated, eh?

Selson1: Why, thank you. It's exactly what I was going for!

Reply
Enbee
21/11/2011 11:09:19 pm

I disagree. The reason Indians need to get visas is because if they didnt then hoardes of them would travel on one way tickets and never return back - often living illegally working in crummy jobs. That is the fact of life no matter how much you deny it.

Instead of bickering and feeling jealous, you should instead look at your government and ask them the hard questions. Its all about relationships and treaties between governments. If your govt. doesnt care about your travel woes why should the first world citizens be blamed or made to feel that they should suffer the same. They elected their governments which ensured they wouldnt have these issues.

Reply
Rahul Venkit link
21/11/2011 11:57:08 pm

Enbee: Interesting that you think it's governments to blame and not economics or past centuries of industrialization.

If you haven't noticed, the global balance of power is changing. Not everyone in emerging countries is a potential illegal immigrant.

If anything, given the sovereign debt crisis of the west and near stagnant growth, they need tourist dollars from emerging countries more than ever.

I would hesitate before painting 1 billion people - or a 5th of the world's population - with the same broad brush. If only it were as simple as that.

Emerging countries will start pushing back against what they might see as lopsided western visa policies that is not a reflection of their state today, but rather a wishful reiteration of their glory days long past.

Of course, like I mentioned in the comments section, the first world has a valid fear of illegal immigration, not least in times of an economic downturn. And those who have abused the system have made life difficult for all.

But why the Fort Knox-style rules for tourist or business visas? Is there no better way of distinguishing between illegals and genuine cases?

Those were my main points. It's amusing what you got from it all was "bickering and feeling jealous".

If anything, I'm thankful I wasn't born Pakistani or Bangladeshi or Iraqi. Now those guys really cannot travel.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Reply
Nikhil
8/4/2012 02:23:29 pm

Hi Rahul. I stumbled upon this article from somewhere I don't know. It's a really well written article and one that I can relate to! :)

Reply
Jason link
7/8/2012 06:42:01 am

3 ways to solve this problem
A. Give up and live with it
B. Dedicate your life to fighting for change
C. Switch sides to the winning team and get a new passport
Time to get one of these European mail order brides..

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25/11/2014 03:47:28 am

There is a lot of resentment and anger in this article.

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