These are everyday matters in India. We do not have equal treatment in our own country. Whole world is invited to India except Indians or Indian origin people.
Forgetting visa cannot be pardoned. Can you argue in US about forgetting visa.
The kids should have been allowed at least transit visa.
I feel officials are right. After staying 9 years in US, if one does not know the rules for international travels, then they can not blame officials. Granting transit visa is the solely depends upon the officials. Have you tried getting transit visa in Singapore? sometimes they offer and sometimes they do not with same papers. You can not question their duty. Don't blame others for your own mistakes. I am sure officials must be having their version of this story.
Its a shame to see our own country authorities behaving with us so ruthlessly. I can understand the requirements, Rules and Regulation to be followed but these are visa's for children and the parents already had their visa in place so they could offer few hrs time to get this done and provided a temporary visa for the children. Yes the white skin are treated better then brown skin in INDIA for sure.We see this happening all the time.
Felt really sad to know the plight of Mr.Vijay and his family at the hands of Immigration officials. We Indians are the worst hypocrates and worst of all we are so money minded that we would sell everything to get money. perhaps if you had given that immigration official some dollars he may have even granted you a 1 month transit visa for kids. its a shame that we Indians still look at fair skin as something special, we all want wife's who are fair looking, kids who look fair, friends who are fair and try soo much of consumer products to be fair.
We Indians would not even flinch a bit at making business on a dead body.
Immigration personnel in Mumbai are probably the worst i have seen from the travel i have done so far. They are arrogant, have no clue of the rules, dont escalate problems and try an alternative legal way to resolve a situation. This basically means that either they are not trained well or dont want to do their job. Both reasons are unprofessional and unethical to visitors. They should learn from their mistakes. I once asked a superviosr what is the formal procedure for complaining against a immigration officer. He replied 'there is no such formal procedure'. Such breakdown make them act like gods....
I can understand the pain - the family went through but one simple question...i am just curious to know how the US imigration would have responded in a similar situation where two indian national kids travel 24 hr to reach US and hypothetically loose their visas in the air while travelling ( Because without a valid US visa you can not even check in)
this is realy very surprising that such people work on airport & dont care for the little ones. I stroungly condem suck kind of treatment to fellow indians.
It happens only in India,any other country love thier country men first and then other,but we are different and we call it "Athidi Devo Bhava" .. how stupid.
RE:immigration
by mila on Dec 25, 2006 01:13 AM Permalink
Maninder,
If you would have gone without a visa to the US they wouldn't let you in, BUT if an American man and his wife living in another country had arrived in the US with their two kids, the US would have at least granted them a transit visa. Just because the parents are Americans, the kids automatically can come into their parents' land. Americans are not mean to their own people, unfortunately the Indian officials are.
RE:immigration
by kanth on Dec 26, 2006 11:19 PM Permalink
I think US immigration will think and re think if the parents are american's and kids are not american citizens...incase if they are not going to allow into the country....atleast they will make sure that you stay in airport for 1-2 days to take rest and send you back after that...
American immigrants may be rude when it comes to duty...but they are not inhuman...
Our immigration guys just want to be strict(may be they want to be like other countries immigration autorities)...but in that efort they are forgetting that human face of the whole thing...
RE:immigration
by vk on Dec 26, 2006 11:29 PM Permalink
Thats right. People disrespect rules and make hue and cry.The couples were aware they didnt bring the documents when the paris officials checked their documents. They simply ignored the rules and now they talk about humanity. Same way if they do in USA, will they be excused? Now a days many of the indians have become double edged.....
RE:immigration
by Jay on Dec 27, 2006 08:08 AM Permalink
Your point only makes sense if the Frenchman was also asked to return for having no visa. Why was he given a transit visa and not the NRIs?
Don't you think it is totally unfair and they are really not following the law? it should be applicable to everybody, why are the whites given concessions in the law?
