Visa policies and western hypocrisy
In the past two months, three different embassies have refused me visas. Not because I broke any rules or had no "means of livelihood" but because I refused to submit my passport for two weeks at their embassies. The first and third were the embassies of Belgium and Austria in DC; and third was the embassy of Portugal in Abuja. The three trips were all expense paid. Tickets were already bought and hotels reserved by well-established and respected sponsoring institutions. On my own side, I have a fairly impressive travelling record, clearly visible in my three passport booklets. But that matters little as far as those passports are green; the embassies called it a bluff and denied me visas.
The most painful of all is the trip I wanted to make to Portugal. I was invited for the African Development Bank (AfDB) annual meetings and had pre-purchased my ticket before the visa application and also indicated the importance of my visit in the invitation. The visa officer at the embassy of Portugal in Abuja would not hear any explanation. She simply said that she could not attend to any application even when I had more than a week to the event and dropped the phone on me. The AfDB country office in Nigeria intervened and issued me a note verbal. The visa officer was not moved and prevented me from attending the meeting.
Another interesting one happened in Washington DC. It was a trip to Austria. Initially, the officer was cheerful and receptive but as soon as she spotted my green passport, her countenance changed. She later hoodwinked me into paying my non-refundable visa fees only to tell me five days later that I should reschedule my trip. In all the three cases I lost at least $300 each on visa fees, health insurance and transport logistics. From what happened to me, I began to imagine what my compatriots in Nigeria go through to get visas.
I suspect that some of the toughest visa policies in the world exist in Nigeria and for Nigerians. If you visit some embassies in Lagos and Abuja, you will weep at the experience of applicants. They put out a telephone number that is either not working or perpetually busy. When you manage to get through to them, they will be extremely impolite to you. If you have to wait to go in, you will endure the scorching sun or showers of rain as if your life depends on it. Whether you are a governor, senator or minister, you are subjected to the same dehumanizing conditions. After several complaints, some embassies started using vendors to handle the administrative side of the applications. That was only a partial solution. A friend of mine confided in me that he was asked to pay N50,000 for a visa appointment only last week.
Information for legal migration to Germany | Todaytip.net
- In the case of a student or work visa , a letter from the educational institution or the hiring company must be presented.
Once settled in Germany, migrants must register with the local residents’ registration office ((Einwohnermeldeamt) where they must indicate the addresses where they are staying. All migrants who want to stay in Germany for more than three months must apply for a residence permit with the local foreigners’ registration office (Ausländeramt).
Finally, those who want to work in this country must request a work permit at the local employment office (Arbeitsamt).
Lastly, it is advisable to bring to Germany birth certificates, health insurance documentations, secondary school degree or other academic degrees, and international driving licenses, all in both the originals and the certified translations.
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