I mentioned in another thread how I applied for an Indian tourist visa, as a US citizen, with a US passport. I just got a status update today. Background: both of my parents were born in Pakistan, I was born in the US, have lived my entire life in the US, and I don't even currently have a Pakistani tourist visa in my passport. Anyways, I applied for a tourist visa 3 weeks ago, paid the $163 fee, and just got the following email today: The way I interpret the email is pretty much, "Come pick up your passport, you're not getting an entry visa, please don't ask for your $163 back. Kthanksbye. -India" Now the official policy of India doesn't explicitly say that people with ties to Pakistan will be denied a visa (although the visa application does ask for parents' place of birth). Is allowing a person with ties to Pakistan to even apply for a visa in the first place just a ploy to take their money? Or do I still have a legitimate chance of being given "clearance"? I've heard about other cases where people in my situation had to wait months to get an Indian visa, but I haven't heard about anyone being told to pick up their passport before being explicitly told whether or not they'd be receiving a visa first. Thoughts?
I think your reading too much into this dude, from what I see its saying they have to get clearance from India and rather than holding your passport for whatever duration of time its going to take they are just sending your passport back and then let you send the passport back once your visa is approved.
You're probably right - it's just hard to believe that such a bureaucratic organization (consular) would go out of their way to be so accommodating.
Yep, all Indian visa applications have to go through them here in Chicago. The Consulate of India, even though they're just up the street from Travisa, won't accept anything.
May I ask, do we know how it is the other way around (same situation but countries reversed)? sLaNd B a L L a, I hope it works out for you - I like how you like to travel and be open-minded about going to countries and learning about them first-hand.
I just looked at a Pakistani Visa Application, and unlike the India application, it doesn't ask if your parents or grandparents were born in India or ever citizens of India. It does, however, ask for your religion. From what I've heard, it's a lot easier for Indians to enter Pakistan than vice versa. As far as US born Indian-Americans, I don't believe it's an issue at all.
My pakistani friends tell me you're either not going to get it or will have to wait so long that you won't want it. But I guess things could be different now or something.
actually, yea this is true, word on the street is they are not too friendly in the visa office even if you were born here but you still have ties to paki
Just to check it out. Ideally, I'd want to do this road trip over a ~2 month period -- starting in South India, and traveling all the way north into the Baltistan region of northern Pakistan.
Cause one may be from there? Cause one may have family there? Cause its an awesome place to visit? Cause one may not be as ignorant as you? Take your pick.
It can be. I was denied a tourist visa because although I am a US born citizen and my parents are naturalized US citizens, because my parents were born in India, I am considered child of Indian origin or some other classification. That means I had to pay more and provide my parents old Indian passports. Otherwise, I could never visit India. It was taken care of within a week though.
I'm pretty much in the same boat...in the "of Pakistani origin" bucket. So you were able to visit Pakistan after all then? How would you compare it to India?
Im Indian and my wife was born and raised here but both her parents were born in Pakistan. She applied for the Indian visa 8 months ago, we still have not got a response and they have her passport. Every time I try to call the consulate no one picks up, I even sent them a very lengthy email a month ago still no response, it is very frustrating because they have her passport.
That's what I don't understand - why do they give some people their passport back (without a visa) while the application is still "pending", whereas they hold on to other passports for months?
