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Permission to enter (in 39 steps)

This is not a corny thriller title to compete with 50 shades - far from it. It is about the idea of controlling entry into a country. I can see how the rich and powerful countries would want to limit access to their territorial boundaries and the terra within through policy designed to deter unwarranted applicants. But for a country like India to have a policy that restricts entry based on the nationality of the visitor seems farcical. To add to that the process designed to obtain the permission, the VISA application process is a first level deterrent. Now if I was the minister of tourism or an equivalent titled bureaucrat, my objective would be to encourage more applicants rather than deter. Au Contraire. They have erected a barrier that very likely results in the average American farmer (assuming someone from Iowa actually gets it into his head to go see the TAJ) to take a weekend to merely understand the 39 step process of what exactly is going to be involved to get that VISA. This might actually be easier for the American farmer with no previous notion of what 'an India' is. For an ex-pat who is now naturalized in the US to obtain entry for his or her own offspring is the tedium - I speak from experience. So step 1 - understand the 18 page manual of what is needed to obtain the said entry permit step 2 - remember to follow the 39 steps in the 18 pages exactly with the added thrill of having a form that is now somewhat different than what the FAQ or pseudo help (less) youtube shows step 3 - go kill a few trees to print the tomes needed to validate that you indeed are who you say you are and that you confirm five ways that you have a child who you claim is your offspring that for some bizzare reason you want to cart to India step 4 - if you have proven that you are demented by following the steps above then proceed to book an appointment with a third party that runs its operation from a seedy neighborhood (hey rents are cheap) where you risk losing your wallet and your life (in that order or not) and enter to present said documents along with lots of money from your wallet that you managed to hold on to step 5 - this is where it jumps to a tech wonderland - the whole tracking is online with detail steps showing what is going on with that passport of yours and then step 6 - await the text message that says your VISA is ready then step 7 - step into the same office in the skethcy neighborhood (if you lived once you will live again) and grab that book before they decide to close shop and move Voila - you have now been given permission to enter INDIA.. Incredible (I mean Incredible India!)
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Comments

  1. RajendraAugust 24, 2012 at 4:10 AM

    Maybe Mastercard should enter the world of visa-giving!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Diamond HeadAugust 24, 2012 at 7:03 AM

    Haa..given Pay-Pal Discovered a new friend this idea is actually Gold

    ReplyDelete

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