Thank You UK, I don’t want to Visit You! by G Swaminathan

I am a retired scientist from one of the prestigious research laboratories in India. I thought of taking a Europe Tour through one of the popular tour organizers. When I approached them they helped me with a lot of information regarding the trip, arrangement of visas for the countries, charges, facilities etc. But, I was really taken aback when they gave me the conditions to take a UK Visa.

I have to produce the original Retirement Office Memo from my office, My original Pension Book, Property details and copies of my fixed deposit receipts, copies of my transactions for 3-6 months in my bank where I maintain my account with a specification that it should have not less than 2-3 lakhs in the SB account, plus a questionnaire called Personal Particular Form which carried 138 odd questions to be answered and sent to them with another requisition letter.

The questionnaire asked as many details about me not only about my age, but the present to all the earlier passports I have, my present income, if I get any other income information and details of those sources, my (deceased) father’s and mother’s dates of birth ( which I actually don’t know !) and their nationality and what not.

In addition to all these, I am expected to attend a personal interview on a specified date.

Well, my sanity prevailed and I thought for just for two days visit to London to see the Thames, Tower Bridge, Madame Tassaud’s museum and Buckingham Palace from outside this type of exposition is nothing but too much.

If still Indians go to UK fulfilling all these, I cannot feel sorry for their obsequiousness and appalled by the arrogance of the British.

But, I said ‘Thank you UK, I don’t want to visit your country, I have seen much of you and your attitude.’

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02-May-2014

More by : G Swaminathan

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Comments on this Article

The tourist visa varies formalities from "on arrival visa" to this kind of rigorous processing as mentioned in the article/

I wonder what made UK to pursue introduction of such rigorous process for issuing tourist visas, what value addition or additional safety does it bring to the country ?

Dinesh Kumar Bohre
05/04/2014 12:46 PM

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