First I'd like to appreciate the stand taken by immigration officials in Mumbai. I don't see why any non Indian should be let into the country if they don't have proper documents. Emotions are running high here cause kids are involved. Well, they had to pay for their father's stupidity.
To the dad, you have accepted complete responsibility. Then what are you complaining about. Be a man and tell your kids that they had to suffer because daddy screwed up. And don't bring this racial thing to India.
As for the French man's comment, there is no credibility if the statement was made. Even so, I don't think we should pay serious attention to it. We will let it pass as a typical developed country attitude that countries like India should bend their rules.
And for the person suggesting that the dad carry $100 next time when he travels to India, YOU HAVE TO BE ASHAMED. I think the people arguing the dad's case here have not traveled abroad.
Finally I'd like to ask the dad to leave his Green Card here in India and try to enter the United States based on his children's US citizenship. GOOD LUCK.
PS: The title is wrong. They are not NRI kids. They are NRI's kids.
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by S Ram on Dec 20, 2006 09:08 PM Permalink
Hi Shyam,
I agree with all but one of your points. True daddy screwed up, but does that mean the kids have to suffer? Is there no space in the world for just being nice? No, I am not talking about admitting people into the country without a visa. But it's no crime giving them an extra few hours to fax their documents... I think that's what the whole issue is about. The fax did arrive 10 minutes after they boarded their flight back to Paris!
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by Vivek on Dec 20, 2006 09:19 PM Permalink
Hey Shyam,
You do have a couple of good points mentioned.
I do agree that Vijay screwed up the who thing by not bringing the peoper documents. But, shouldn't the immigration officials to considerate enough to offer transit visa (for 24 hrs or 48 hrs) to the two kids by looking at their system to verify if actually did issue visa/PIO documents to the kids. This would have given some time to the family get the documents faxed.
At the least, they should have allowed the family to stay at the airport for 4-6 hrs so he could have got his friend to fax the documents from Boston.
You should probably put yourself in his shoes and think about it.
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by Unknown on Dec 20, 2006 09:19 PM Permalink
Shayam, very well said. Everybody is crying with this stupid NRI who is blaming Immigration officials for his own mistakes. I am pretty sure that he himself has mistreated the officials claming to be a relative of Laloo Parsad Yadav or Chandrababu Nayadu. I am also an NRI and repeat the same advise to him....Try to enter in USA w/o your GreenCard with your kids as they are US Citizens and then tell everyone what kinda treatment you get. Pathetic!
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by Ashok H on Dec 20, 2006 09:28 PM Permalink
Good Point. Ya! leave your GC and try to enter india with your Kids passport.
BTW, the french guy was on a "TRANSIT" visa which means he has tickets to travel to other places. I have got transit visa to Singapore, Malaysia etc. Viraj wants free transit visa for 1 month - Hello 1 month is not transit.
The officer had who deported these guys has been honest and did his job.
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by Indian on Dec 21, 2006 01:00 AM Permalink
Lets not compare with Indian leaving Greencard and going to USA immigration. More apt comparison would be American returning to America with kids of foreign origin. Now how American offical's are going to behave? I dont know. But I do know that they will try to help. Atleast wait for 1 hour for the documents to be faxed!!!
Americans make sure that their fellow Americans are treated well all over the world. E.g. Americans doesn't need a visa to enter UK, while Indians do.
Even better.Indian don't need a transit visa in UK, if they are going to America :). When will we Indian stop being self centered and think about fellow Indians?????
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by Ravi Bharadwaj on Dec 21, 2006 01:29 AM Permalink
I will appreciate if you can throw some light on why a forein national is allowed to keep his feet on Indian soil when a person of Indian origin with supported documents(should be there in their system I doubt if it is distributed acrosss various networks after this incident) is denied to land.
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by jui on Dec 21, 2006 01:41 AM Permalink
Agreed, that the gentleman Shriwardhankar completely forgot the docs in America, he agrees to the same, but to err is human. Do you understand the agony, that a person spends a fortune for an Indian trip, almost $6000-$8000/- for a family trip, and apart from that has joy and love in his heart that he will be meeting his family, will hv a nice time in his motherland, and this is the treatment he gets in his own country, our country men are racists for sure, you are saying that dont bring this racism in India, its already existing, that french person who refused the Indian visa he got one, and the Indian citizen who is asking to grant some more time, just doesnt get time, why dont u get it that its just a task of a minute to get the records cuz every immigration computers are internationally linked. What kind of mentality u hv.
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by NM on Dec 21, 2006 12:53 AM Permalink
Shyam,
I understand ur statement that without Valid documents, we should not allow people inside the country.
1)Do U also understand that we can porvide temporary visas based on some criteria. This system is available in almost all countries if u have visited that country at least once.
2)Also there is no need to deport immediately. Why not allow some time to arrange alternatives.
3)If a citizen of India can give guarantee, They can be granted temporary stay. Think how many of their relatives are citizens. Wont they guarantee these children's conduct during the stay.
4)Do U know how many illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and others countries are in India. Wher is ur IMMIGRATION authorities in this case.
5)In India, we follow everything as per rules. Is that what ur statement means. If you pay 200$, U can bring 10kgs gold into this country. Ask ur IMMIGRATION authorities fix that system rather showing off.
Above all, U can justify anything. But underlying fact is "This act is too rigid, inhuman". The system has to change.
