Visa
policies and western hypocrisy
By
Uche Igwe
In
the past two months, three different embassies have refused me visas. Not
because I broke any rules or had no "means of livelihood" but because
I refused to submit my passport for two weeks at their embassies.
The first and
third were the embassies of Belgium
and Austria in DC; and third
was the embassy of Portugal
in Abuja. The
three trips were all expense paid. Tickets were already bought and hotels
reserved by well-established and respected sponsoring institutions. On my own
side, I have a fairly impressive travelling record, clearly visible in my three
passport booklets. But that matters little as far as those passports are green;
the embassies called it a bluff and denied me visas.
The
most painful of all is the trip I wanted to make to Portugal. I was invited for the
African Development Bank (AfDB) annual meetings and had pre-purchased my ticket
before the visa application and also indicated the importance of my visit in
the invitation. The visa officer at the embassy of Portugal
in Abuja would
not hear any explanation. She simply said that she could not attend to any
application even when I had more than a week to the event and dropped the phone
on me. The AfDB country office in Nigeria intervened and issued me a
note verbal. The visa officer was not moved and prevented me from attending the
meeting.
Another
interesting one happened in Washington
DC. It was a trip to Austria.
Initially, the officer was cheerful and receptive but as soon as she spotted my
green passport, her countenance changed. She later hoodwinked me into paying my
non-refundable visa fees only to tell me five days later that I should
reschedule my trip. In all the three cases I lost at least $300 each on visa
fees, health insurance and transport logistics. From what happened to me, I
began to imagine what my compatriots in Nigeria go through to get visas.
I
suspect that some of the toughest visa policies in the world exist in Nigeria and for
Nigerians. If you visit some embassies in Lagos
and Abuja, you
will weep at the experience of applicants. They put out a telephone number that
is either not working or perpetually busy. When you manage to get through to
them, they will be extremely impolite to you. If you have to wait to go in, you
will endure the scorching sun or showers of rain as if your life depends on it.
Whether you are a governor, senator or minister, you are subjected to the same
dehumanizing conditions. After several complaints, some embassies started using
vendors to handle the administrative side of the applications. That was only a
partial solution. A friend of mine confided in me that he was asked to pay
N50,000 for a visa appointment only last week.
Concerned
embassy officials should not sit in mute indifference amidst this mindless
extortion. These days we hear that as soon the quota is exhausted for the day,
no visa officer will screen your application. They will simply pocket your
money with the phrase "sorry, we cannot give you a visa at this
time". Visa denial costs an applicant sometimes up to $500. Many applicants
pay transport, accommodation, visa fees and purchase appointments, only to
receive that rehearsed apology. And the story ends there.
I
agree that many visa applicants break the rules in Nigeria, in desperation or
ignorance. But there are many others who are qualified but whose applications
are refused. Many top government functionaries queue in person whenever they
need to apply for a visa, even with a note verbal. This is unacceptable and can
only happen in Nigeria.
Countries like Chad, Gabon and Niger even receive better treatment
than Nigerians when it comes to visa issuance. In contrast, many of these
foreign embassies in Nigeria
raise millions of dollars every year from non-refundable visa fees. Some of the
revenue is used to subsidize their embassies.
I
am interested in the debate that will put the flow of the so called development
aid inflow into Nigeria
side by side the amount of money that is raised from visa fees. The visa
policies in Nigeria
and on Nigerians need further review. We are a country of more than 150 million
people with a growing middle class. All those who stand as friends and partners
of Nigeria
cannot stare helplessly at discriminatory visa policies. Those Nigerians who
have genuine travel intentions must be allowed to have a visa without much ado.
Some advice that it is time for Nigerian missions abroad to begin to retaliate.
The
hassle of international travel now means that many people undertake it only
when they have to. Stress free visa application process and less discriminatory
visa regime should be permissible in a globalized world that preaches equality.
It is not too much to ask for.
Uche
Igwe wrote from Africa Program Johns Hopkins University Washington DC via
ucheigwe@gmail.com
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