We are BIG!

Long time no writing on my blog. No, I didn’t forget it. I just promise I will write about my trip to the North of India. I started. I swear. It is on draft. But it has to be a big post, coz my trip was big, and with a lot of things in it. But this is another post. I will try to find time to show it to you. Now let’s come back to this post.

Life is weird, very weird. It is so weird that I cannot understand it. But life in India is even weirder. Aa! But Minister of Home Affairs beats all these. I don’t have knowledge about legislation and laws, but for sure it is not normal to change the legislation so often.

After 2 weeks of dealing with uncertainty and reading news, I understood that for sure they must have their very strong and reasonable reasons  to change the legislation and to ask all the foreigners to leave their country. Seams that they have too many unqualified labors, too many people are coming to India to look for a job and they want to stop all this immigration and to improve the quality of the workers are coming here.

And.. after 2 weeks in which I was booking my fly tickets to go back home, I was looking for presents for family and friends, I was making plans, I was already dreaming with the cold and nice weather from my dear Romania, dreaming with my warming room, with my warm cloths, being very enthusiastic I will can wear my boots, my gloves, my winter jacket, I may see snow… I will can eat ciorba (soup), cheese; 1 week in which I was asking myself how it will be to go back home, to wait for the green light of the traffic lights, to have a decent seat in the bus, to go by tram, to be on time, to have a silent room, without noise, to enjoy a walk in the green landscape, to don’t cover my mouth and nose with a handkerchief because of the pollution… 3 days before flying I find out the magic answer:

“Who are eligible for a Business Visa?

Foreign students sponsored by AIESEC for internship on project based work in companies/industries.”

For more information: http://www.mha.nic.in/writereaddata/12566695441_work_visa_faq.pdf

This kind of things is just remembering us how big and powerful is AIESEC. It is not easy to influence the legislation of a country, and more a country like India. AIESEC is really making a difference in the world! Congratz AIESEC in India for the achievement!

Indian immigration legislation – 6 months update

“India is a developing country”, everywhere you go they tell you this. It is a totally valid affirmation, but the problem is that they use this reality as a pathetic excuse for absolutely everything.

Now let’s take this scenario: I got a X visa type from Indian Embassy in Romania, a special visa for my kind of internship; from there till I’m flying from Bucharest to Mumbai and I’m waking up in a totally different reality, they changed the legislation and seams my visa type is invalid; after 1.5 months of daily negotiations with Embassy of India in Romania and Foreigner Regional Registration Office in Mumbai I’m changing my visa type into a Business visa. Now, 4 months later, they change the legislation again and seams I have to leave the country till 31st of October aka less than 2 weeks, to go back home to get a new visa – a different type of visa – an Employment visa this time. AIESEC is trying to negotiate with the minister to make an exception for AIESEC trainees, let’s see.

I suppose to have another 6 months of internship. Maybe by the end of my internship they will decide something else. Hmm… I’m asking how many times Indian government can change the immigration legislation so radically. Maybe they decide they don’t want to see any kind of foreigner in their country.

India’s legislation

And after one week of staying in Mumbai, the big day came: I have to register. It was no hurry; I have 2 weeks to do this, so I took my time.

Monday morning, Foreigners Register Regional Office: Are you working for TCS? You don’t have a proper visa type.

Me: What? No, no, no, I’m not working for TCS, I’m a trainee on TCS. It’s an internship.

FRRO Lady: Doesn’t matter, you are receiving money, so you need a business visa.

Me: no, no no. We are a lot of trainees here and all of us have the same type of visa. This is issued one week ago.

FRRO lady: This week the legislation changed and now you need a business visa for this kind of internships.

Me: Whaaat? Wait a second. My European logic system starts working: the legislation has been changed this week. Today is Monday, so the legislation changed today? :O WTF?? How come?  The legislation cannot change from one day to another!! I took this visa o week and a half ago!

FRRO lady: Here is India; the legislation can change every day.

And this phrase broke all my European logic system.

What can I do now? I’m in India for one year; I don’t have other option than adjust.  I cannot change an entire nation. I’m here to know their culture, to know them, to understand them and after that to be able to make a change.

What’s next? Embassy of India in Romania part 2