Guess how long I’ve been in India according with Indian emigration authorities

Responsibility? Quality? Efficiency?

These are words which are unknown for the big Indian mass. The intention of this post is not to criticize, nor raise a question mark for the Indian citizens who use their brains.

This week I’ve been once again to FRRO (Foreigner Regional Registration Office) to extend my visa and first of all my visa application was rejected because: “the AIESEC logo is black and white instead blue, and even if it has the stamp and the signature in original it is not an original, it is a fax”. Excuse me!!!??? Who told you it has to be blue?! Who are you to certify that a document is brand aligned or not? How it matters for you if it is brand aligned or not if it has the signature and stamp in original? And what do you know about the brand AIESEC to say how it supposes to be?

Finally I succeed to convince the ladies from FRRO Mumbai that it can be black and white as well and I promise next time I go I will gift them the page from the AIESEC Brand Toolkit which says how can be the logo in a document. Well, if they insist, then will teach them about the brand AIESEC.

In India the security is a very high concern because of objective reasons, so the authorities need more information about everyone is in India than in my country for example. Very reasonable and understood able. And now guess something:

What is the information that Indian Emigration Office has about me?

According with The Indian Emigration Office I have been in India for 3 years!!!! My visa was issued in 2007 and it expires in 2010, but my passport was issued in 2008.

Me to the lady from FRRO: “This is a mistake! How can this be possible?!”

The lady: “Ah, it is just a typo, you must be inserted wrong, it is fine, and we will modify it”.

For sure I didn’t write that my visa was issued in 2007!!! And even if that will be true, you have to verify it. It’s insane!! It is an official document! How can you make such kind of mistake??!!! It is not your personal diary where you can make mistakes, it is about people, immigration documents, legal documents, lives!

I will never stop to be amazed about how some Indians can justify everything; absolutely everything can be forgiven and justified. They don’t think: “oh, uh, i made a mistake I should be more careful”. No! Excuses, excuses and excuses! I’m sorry guys, but there is no excuse for a mistake as saying that I’m an Indian citizen in an official exam record, or write in a visa application of a Canadian citizen that is Indian and because of it her visa gets rejected and after she needs visa to enter in UK, or saying that I’ve been in India for the last 3 years.

All this is called incompetency, irresponsibility, not using the brain!

What if the Indian authorities have the same wrong records about those who are involved in illegal things?!

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.

The big day has come!

Ladies and gentlemen I have an announcement to do: I got the visa!!

After 2 weeks of stress, emotions and so on, I got it yesterday! At 4:03 I call the embassy to ask for my visa and the lady say: yes, it is ready, you can come to take it.

me: How much time do I have?

the lady: Until 5 PM

Oh great! less than one hour. I start calling at courier companies and no one wanted to get the order because it was too less time. After a lot of calls those from Fan Courier accept to get the order if I call to embassy and they wait a little bit more. I called and I get 20 more minutes.

I didn’t know if they could get the envelop or not until today morning when I call them and I asked: they get it!!! Some minutes ago they call me to tell me that my envelop is going to be in Iasi until 2 o’clock!! I just can’t believe it!!!

I got the visa! Friday evening I left Iasi, and Saturday morning Romania. Sunday morning I will be in Mumbai! Starting Monday morning I will be working on the huge Tata Consultancy Services India for one year!

Embassy of India in Romania

To start my internship at TCS I have to go to India, to go in India I need a visa, to get a visa I have to have all the necessary documents.

Sometime in my life I learn to think structured to can resolve my problems in an efficient way. So, I start with the end: I prepare all the documents and I entrain to Bucharest, destination: embassy of India, SMART objective: get the visa.

But like the Romanians are saying the home accountancy is not the same as the market accountancy and in the embassy, they thought better and they realize that they want to see my invitation in original, even throw phone they told me it is not necessary, and this is not all, they want to see my diplomas.

Ok, well, maybe they want to ensure that I have the necessary preparation for the internship. But they ask me all the diplomas that I have! All, doesn’t metter if they have nothing to do with the job. Bring us all you have. Interesting, I never thought is good to have diplomas to get a visa. )