“Hello, madam, spit your choo-ing gum.” I let out a subtle chuckle at the sound of that order hoping she was being funny. “Choo-ing gum feko!”, she almost yelled the second time. My friend opened his napkin and eyed towards it, clearly indicating the proposed action. I spat it out and turned to the security outside the Visa consulate in Mumbai.
She checked my documents and beeped me, eventually leading me down the stairs. Walking in, it felt like I was engaging in a secret, underground trade with shufflers around me minus the bling. The passage was lit with dull tube lights. And eerieness filled the place. One by one, we were let in the meet the bosses. No one smiled, no one said hello. They wanted to get done with us all.
I am an Indian citizen working in the United States of America as an Account Planner in an advertising agency and a fucking good one. I also did my masters in the country’s number one advertising university with a darn shiny GPA. I have done everything right, followed the rules and never participated or escalated the negative perceptions that Indians have about Americans. I’ve organized Christmas parties for the kids in Detroit who play with hand-me-downs. I’ve been a good girl, you know.
Maybe that’s why, it made perfect sense for America to title me as an employable legal alien from a legal alien. Quite a promotion! After having studied in the US and after working in renowned advertising agencies in the US, I came to India to visit family and to get my visa stamped recently.
Today, I feel very handicapped.
I followed the instructions on the VFS website and donated about a hundred and thirty dollars. I took my donation receipt of $130 as mentioned on the VFS website. I filled my form three times only to recieve an error that said “Page not available”. This happened multiple times when my friend pointed out that I should be using Internet Explorer and not Firefox. Why doesn’t the VFS website clearly mention this? My frustration does not end here. Then, Internet explorer decided to stand me up. Finally, I was able to fill the form, which by then, I’d almost memorized. But unfortunately, I lost almost 4 days in this process.
There is a section on the form which asks you if “is this with regards to the current visa that you are holding” or “applying for a new visa”. Since I have been working in the US on my H1 work permit for about year and a half, my automatic/obvious answer to this question was “regards with the visa I am currently holding”. My form was submitted and I got an interview.
Today, I went to the Visa consulate in Mumbai, India to submit my documents and I was told that my case comes under “applying for a new visa” and not the other. The Indian representative tilted her head, with the background decorated in a little red and green with respect to the Christmas spirit, wrote something down on a paper and said, “ab toh wapis karna padega (You’ll have to do it all over again)”. I was also told that I could only call on 5th January to take a new date and submit another reactivation fee of $180. Easy-peasy, right?
VFS has failed to provide correct instructions to people like me who are getting their visa stamped for the first time. VFS also does not have the right solution in place. Demanding $180 + all the inconvenience caused is atrocious and unacceptable. This clearly shows us that foreign nationals working in the US with a legitimate degree and with talent are treated like complete aliens. I find this extremely offensive and disrespectful. I am also upset with the fact that I have to now reschedule my flight. The delay in my return to the US is also going to threaten my employment.
I am demanding:
- A refund of my hard-earned money
- A list of clear instructions at every part on the VFS website to make it easier for applicants
- Treat visa applicants with respect
- Create a waiting lounge outside the VFS center for people instead of stranding them on the streets.
- A holiday card to un-bitterize my mood
Putting up an Indian flag adjacent to the USA flag does not make things simpler. Foreign nationals working in the US don’t have it easy and never will. And for some odd reason, the Indian reps working at the consulate get a lifetime insult-other-indians pass.
I wish we were treated with more respect and I wish that there was a right system in place in cases such as these.
Each little part of the visa bueaucracy manages to gnaw on your optimistic spirit making you jaded by the system, eventually making you a silent, powerless citizen of mera bharat mahan!
