indian nationalities abroad

omfug

what countries are the easiest to get tourist visa for indian nationalities and for tibetan refuge passport???????we are trying do a family reunion in a country that is easy to travel to and have fun for a week. any suggestions would be highly apprieciated.

SANJAY_DEL

Mauritius should be easy to travel to, for Indians and Tibetans.
Secheylles also.

omfug

is more beautiful than maldives?????? how long of a flight is it from india??????thanks

SANJAY_DEL

See: http://www.seychelles.travel/en/home/index.php

Air Mauritius
Emirates Airline
Kenya Airways
Qatar Airways fly to India, besides the two legacy carriers.

machadinha

You could start with Lonely Planet's Worldguide for some fast facts. Looks like Mauritius would be the more economical of the three if this is a concern. No idea about visa regulations; at LP, you could also try their Thorn Tree traveller's forums to see what others say about it.

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osgeek

What about Nepal? It is the easiest to get into from India.

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SANJAY_DEL

Yes both Nepal and Sri Lanka.

batistuta

You can think of Thailand too,you can get visa on arrival,if the choices are between Thailand,Nepal and Sri lanka,you dont need to apply for visa in Advance for any of these countries.
Mauritius maybe more expensive with Sri lanka being the least expensive.I am not sure but you dont need visa for maldives too in advance.

docgirl2005

Maldives, while just gorgeous and a fantasy destination for me once in my life...is quite expensive too.

Thailand would be a great spot.

palais

Heloo,

Can some one direct me to a thread that discusses the how to's of getting one US visa for an Indian born Tibetan person?

I would like to learn about writing an invitation letter, sponsorship, and getting a visa, from people who have been through this, as it seems a daunting task.

Thank you-

machadinha

There's a member who may be able to help you, I'll send a PM to point to this thread.

palais

Thank you!

dzibead

palais, I'm the person machadinha was referring to, but before I can give you any useful information there's one very basic question I need to ask: what kind of visa were you thinking of?

If it's anything other than a tourist visa or an H1B employment visa (and I suspect the latter isn't what you had in mind - and H1B visas are also hard to get anyway), then it's practically impossible unless you are a close relative of the person. "Religious worker" visas are also sometimes sought by Tibetan monks (or nuns), but the qualifications are fairly narrow, and while the duration of this kind of visa can be longer than a tourist visa, it's still finite.

Many people (including lots of Tibetans who latch onto visiting Americans hoping to get help with immigrating to the U.S.) believe that you can "sponsor" them to immigrate here. That was once the case, quite a while ago, but as I said, nowadays, you have to be in certain categories of close family members to do this, and even then, the waiting time for the actual visa can be years. There ARE certain immigration visas available for prospective immigrants who apply from certain "under-represented" countries, but Tibetans born in India (or in Tibet for that matter) do NOT fall under any of the current quotas.

One place to start looking for information on the subject is the website for the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. Go to http://travel.state.gov/ and click the link for Visas for Foreign Citizens. One additional possible complication for your India-born Tibetan friend is that s/he may not have an Indian passport. Even though many Tibetans born in India could technically qualify for Indian citizenship and obtain an Indian passport, for complicated reasons many of them don't go this route. Instead they have to obtain a different kind of travel document from the Indian Government (and information about that part of the process is available in the Tibetan community).

Even getting a tourist visa isn't a piece of cake. The visa applicant has to make an appointment to be interviewed by a U.S. consular official and it often takes weeks or months for the appointment to be scheduled, although I've heard of people "buying" appointment slots - apparently there's a sort of black market run by people who make many appointments and then sell the slots to others. You can go to the website for the particular consular office closest to where your friend lives (probably Delhi?) and it will give information about the lead time required for making an appointment for a visa interview.

At the interview, the applicant will be questioned very closely and must convince the interviewer that s/he intends to return to India before the visa expires and does not intend to try to stay in the U.S. The interviewer will look for evidence of strong ties to India that would give the applicant an incentive to return: property or bank accounts in India, or a business, having a good job the person wouldn't give up lightly, or being in school there, or having children left behind in India. This isn't just the case with Tibetans born in India - ordinary "garden variety" Indians face this, too, as I'm sure many Indians on IM who have gone through the U.S. visa process can confirm.

As far as an invitation letter is concerned, yes, it helps, but the consular official will look for a real connection between you and the person you are inviting to make sure you aren't just some "ringer" the applicant has talked into helping him or her get a visa (what? you're shocked? I can't tell you how many Tibetans who are TOTAL STRANGERS TO ME have sort of sidled up to me asking for help with getting a visa for their sister or their son ... or themselves ... sheesh), and the interviewer will often look for some specific reason for the person's visit (e.g., attending a graduation, or something like that). What they want is some support or confirmation that the person will only visit temporarily and will in fact return to India at the end of the visa period.

Hope this information is useful. But as you said, this is a daunting task. And if what's wanted is an actual immigration visa, you can probably forget about it, unless the person already has close relatives here who are U.S. citizens or Green Card holders, in which case those relatives should be the ones helping with the visa process, not you.

himmat01

Details about Visa on arrival for Indian passport holders can be found here:

http://airlinersindia.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=484&highlight= visa+rules&mforum=airlinersind ia

Please check with the consulates/emabassies for any updates and changes. I will not be responsible if you make travel decisions solely on the above data.

Information courtesy: Nimish Gupta

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palais

Hi dzibead, yes, looking for a tourist visa. A 'religious worker' visa would also be appropriate, as the person is a monk, but he would not be coming to do any teaching. He would indeed wish to return to India, but I don't know how he will prove that, as he has no bank accounts or children. Would ties to his monastery be sufficient?



Very good information, yes, the 'sponsor' myth is alive and well.



My friend does have a passport. I have been approached by friends without.



Okay, any leads how to buy an appointment? lol. My friend is in the north right now, but usually lives in the south.



Yes, this is the kind of information that is really helpful to a newcomer to the process.


Well, not shocked by now, though I was when it first happened. So many people approach me to help them. Maybe because I travel alone. Question: Do I need to prove that I have money to support the person, sponsor the person, while they are in the US? If so, how much?

I am guessing it is good for me to start the process in the US, but then be there to guide my friend through the interview process in Delhi.

Have you then, Dzibead, successfully gotten people to the US? How many? Very curious about your experience.