I just thought this is worthy of reading..
http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/20george.htm?q=tp&file=.htm
http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/dec/20george.htm?q=tp&file=.htm
Callous, inhuman rats at Mumbai airport.
- Thread starter mnsweeps
- Start date
invest2bfree
Registered Users (C)
Seriousy if you ask me the parents are bunch of morons. Imagine landing in USA without a Visa.
Hmm....lets see....what will happen....if you end up at New York without a valid visa? You get sent back. Eggjactly!
Also, my friends mother....with valid US multiple entry visa....was sent back to India from the airport...and my friend was not even allowed to meet her....because she had accidently overstayed her 6 months stay when she visited the first time. How come no story about that?
Also, my friends mother....with valid US multiple entry visa....was sent back to India from the airport...and my friend was not even allowed to meet her....because she had accidently overstayed her 6 months stay when she visited the first time. How come no story about that?
I think all three to blame.
1. Parents - No doubts they are the guilty No 1. How can you travel without taking visa/PIO/OCI with you. Come on, this is hard to believe. It sounds that parents are such a novice traveller. Parents are to blame.
2. Airlines - Aie France in this case. Why did not they discover the problem (in this case visa) at US Airport first and then again at Paris they made the same mistake. I mean airlines officials ar idiots and SHOULD BE FINED heavily by Indian Authorities. I believe US and UK government fines the airlines heavily if someone lands in these countries without a visa.
3. Indian Airport authorities - They are right about not allwoing anyone to enter the country if the person does NOT have a valid visa. But given the situation that visa is being faxed. They could have waited for few hours to make sure what parents are saying is right or not. Indian Airport Authorities should have checked the visa validity by punching the Traveller's name and Passport number in their computer. I am pretty sure all of these visa infrmation is centralized and remain on server and anyone having access should be able to validate the visa. Whether the person has ever received the visa or not and whether they are still valid.
All of these are to blame.
I am very sorry to see/know parents going through such a suffering but they themselves are guilty no. 1.
My 1 cent.
1. Parents - No doubts they are the guilty No 1. How can you travel without taking visa/PIO/OCI with you. Come on, this is hard to believe. It sounds that parents are such a novice traveller. Parents are to blame.
2. Airlines - Aie France in this case. Why did not they discover the problem (in this case visa) at US Airport first and then again at Paris they made the same mistake. I mean airlines officials ar idiots and SHOULD BE FINED heavily by Indian Authorities. I believe US and UK government fines the airlines heavily if someone lands in these countries without a visa.
3. Indian Airport authorities - They are right about not allwoing anyone to enter the country if the person does NOT have a valid visa. But given the situation that visa is being faxed. They could have waited for few hours to make sure what parents are saying is right or not. Indian Airport Authorities should have checked the visa validity by punching the Traveller's name and Passport number in their computer. I am pretty sure all of these visa infrmation is centralized and remain on server and anyone having access should be able to validate the visa. Whether the person has ever received the visa or not and whether they are still valid.
All of these are to blame.
I am very sorry to see/know parents going through such a suffering but they themselves are guilty no. 1.
My 1 cent.
havefun said:
They let the French guy get through without a visa. Why couldn't they use the same discretion with these kids? I'm all for tighter security at the airports, but I don't think they had security in mind when they deported these kids. Its disheartening to see this kind of behavior towards fellow countrymen. I'm sure many of us experienced this at some point of time.
As for US immigration, I can't substantiate this, but I bet they would be a little more considerate if two US citizens bring their non-citizen kids with forgotten visa.
I agree, everybody is at fault here.
invest2bfree
Registered Users (C)
harry,
immigration officers are enforcers of the law and not legislators who make laws. If Visa is required then it is required end of story.
Immigration officer could be fired if he let those kids in, did you know that?
immigration officers are enforcers of the law and not legislators who make laws. If Visa is required then it is required end of story.
Immigration officer could be fired if he let those kids in, did you know that?
invest2bfree said:
invest2bfree,
I don't claim to know under what circumstances they made their decisions, but usually higher level immigration officers have some discretionary powers. They obviously decided to wait for 45 minutes for faxes, why not give some reasonable time to clear it?
GC_SEP2005
Registered Users (C)
Well its sad but its all Parents Mistake
Well its a nice example of us cursing law enforcement of not implementing the laws of the country and here when they did, they are again cursed especially when its all Parents and Airlines fault. How can one forget visa's for their kids and if I am right you need to have your old passport with the new one just in case. They are software engineers and they did not do any kind of check list when they departed from Boston. This only tells everyone is to plan your visit very well especially with current situtation documents are very important. But any way its sad that the kids had to suffer for the parents fault. I feel the parents should have being sent back to get the papers for the kids or fined heavely. Its strange that they had around 2 hrs (if my calculations are right that flight have atleast 2-3 hrs in between landing and takeoff) and the fax came after 10 mins of flight departed which means they were real late. Any way das mein se nau beyman par still mera bharat mahan
.
Well its a nice example of us cursing law enforcement of not implementing the laws of the country and here when they did, they are again cursed especially when its all Parents and Airlines fault. How can one forget visa's for their kids and if I am right you need to have your old passport with the new one just in case. They are software engineers and they did not do any kind of check list when they departed from Boston. This only tells everyone is to plan your visit very well especially with current situtation documents are very important. But any way its sad that the kids had to suffer for the parents fault. I feel the parents should have being sent back to get the papers for the kids or fined heavely. Its strange that they had around 2 hrs (if my calculations are right that flight have atleast 2-3 hrs in between landing and takeoff) and the fax came after 10 mins of flight departed which means they were real late. Any way das mein se nau beyman par still mera bharat mahan
.
Triple Citizen
Registered Users (C)
Commonly practiced in the GCC region. I lived in Kuwait for 4 years and no one is as pedantic about visas and passports as that region is. So if they can accept a faxed visa, the authorities in Mumbai should used their discretionary powers for the minors in my opinion.
KMax said:
bengaltiger
Registered Users (C)
I could tell you boat loads of stories concerning officials at airports, embassies and immigration offices around the world and there is a huge difference in attitudes before and after 9/11. The world has changed since and we must all expect no favours. If you make a mistake-tough!
This first incident happend in 1990, well before 9/11. My friend, a white South African citizen forgot to take her green card with her when she flew home to Cape Town to see her parents. On her return to LA no one checked her at CPT airport. However whilst in transit at Zurich the blunder was discovered. She was married to a Marine so she did have her military ID with her and I guess this was a redeeming factor. Anyway, I had to drive to the offices of Swissair at LAX airport and show them the actual GC and they faxed it over to the official in Zurich who did allow her to fly the next day after waiting the entire night at Zurich airport. Who knows if they would let anyone do that today!
In the case of the Indian couple, I feel for them but rules are rules and really it has nothing to do with white skin as they seem to think. Of course people make mistakes but then you have to pay for them. I don't think they are morons and neither am I. I made a mistake too and I am a travel agent who should know better. I had just received my US passport when the news arrived that my dad had passed away. In my distraught state I made arrangements to fly out the next day from LA. Woke up sweating in the early hours of the morning with Indian visa on my brain. Luckily had friends at BA who changed my ticket to fly out of SFO the following day instead of LA as the rule is that you can never make changes to the point of origin of any ticket. Also had to buy a ticket to SFO to get a visa as it was too late to make the flight that morning. Since I bought a one way ticket online to SFO at 6 am and this was in April 02 they made me go through all kinds of security checks at LAX at 3 am, even checking my open toed sandals minutely much to my embarrassment. Finally at SFO got a limo to take me to the Indian Embassy which was really a tiny house in a residential district. I had paid $50 extra for an emergency visa and my limo was waiting to take me back to catch my India flight at 2 pm. They made me wait forever and literally handed me my passport after 2 hours only after I screamed that I was going for my dad's funeral. The woman at our Embassy had my passport in her desk and was waiting for the clock to strike 11 to hand it to me since that was the designated collection time. No thought about my emergency or the $50 extra I paid! Despite living and working in the US the people behind the counter at the Indian Embassy in SFO could have just got off the plane from Jhumritalaya and you would never have known - they were so out of touch with customer service! Missed the funeral and never made the Shradh either- the price I had to pay!
This first incident happend in 1990, well before 9/11. My friend, a white South African citizen forgot to take her green card with her when she flew home to Cape Town to see her parents. On her return to LA no one checked her at CPT airport. However whilst in transit at Zurich the blunder was discovered. She was married to a Marine so she did have her military ID with her and I guess this was a redeeming factor. Anyway, I had to drive to the offices of Swissair at LAX airport and show them the actual GC and they faxed it over to the official in Zurich who did allow her to fly the next day after waiting the entire night at Zurich airport. Who knows if they would let anyone do that today!
In the case of the Indian couple, I feel for them but rules are rules and really it has nothing to do with white skin as they seem to think. Of course people make mistakes but then you have to pay for them. I don't think they are morons and neither am I. I made a mistake too and I am a travel agent who should know better. I had just received my US passport when the news arrived that my dad had passed away. In my distraught state I made arrangements to fly out the next day from LA. Woke up sweating in the early hours of the morning with Indian visa on my brain. Luckily had friends at BA who changed my ticket to fly out of SFO the following day instead of LA as the rule is that you can never make changes to the point of origin of any ticket. Also had to buy a ticket to SFO to get a visa as it was too late to make the flight that morning. Since I bought a one way ticket online to SFO at 6 am and this was in April 02 they made me go through all kinds of security checks at LAX at 3 am, even checking my open toed sandals minutely much to my embarrassment. Finally at SFO got a limo to take me to the Indian Embassy which was really a tiny house in a residential district. I had paid $50 extra for an emergency visa and my limo was waiting to take me back to catch my India flight at 2 pm. They made me wait forever and literally handed me my passport after 2 hours only after I screamed that I was going for my dad's funeral. The woman at our Embassy had my passport in her desk and was waiting for the clock to strike 11 to hand it to me since that was the designated collection time. No thought about my emergency or the $50 extra I paid! Despite living and working in the US the people behind the counter at the Indian Embassy in SFO could have just got off the plane from Jhumritalaya and you would never have known - they were so out of touch with customer service! Missed the funeral and never made the Shradh either- the price I had to pay!
Not so fast...
I still think there should have been some discretionary powers where minors could have been accomodated, even if it meant waiting out a full day in (departure) lounge for next day flight out. The fax would have arrived surely by then...
You would think, however, that just the visa number entry would have been sufficient to support name and age details in the computer system.
Always good to keep a copy in your email account (password protected...)... AND use a rubber band running through the middle (not over) to join pio/passport, oci/passport together.
Desis_r_us
I still think there should have been some discretionary powers where minors could have been accomodated, even if it meant waiting out a full day in (departure) lounge for next day flight out. The fax would have arrived surely by then...
You would think, however, that just the visa number entry would have been sufficient to support name and age details in the computer system.
Always good to keep a copy in your email account (password protected...)... AND use a rubber band running through the middle (not over) to join pio/passport, oci/passport together.
Desis_r_us