> -----Original Message----- > From: Srini RamaKrishnan <[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])> > Sender: [email protected] > (mailto:[email protected]) > Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:46:47 > To: <[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])> > Reply-To: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) > Subject: [silk] India: global mobility > > Assuming there is a special class of Indian passport [1], one where > the recipient is vetted to be of first or second world standards in > education, income, and other desirables, and comes with > pre-negotiated visa waivers with most countries - it would enable a > more mobile class of Indian who can travel and be employed in other > countries, but be off the host country's books in terms of visas and > permanent residencies. Given the incentive to convert nationality or > residency is greatly reduced for this new mobile Indian it helps India > retain its talent too. > >
How much of this boils down to the reputation other countries have of our passport verification and issuing process? I remember talking about this to a Republic of Ireland government investment/tourism of some kind a few years ago, who said that they were well aware of how archaic the passport issuing mechanism in India was. As long as you can buy a new passport for Rs 35,000 or so in Delhi, which was the rate when I last checked, the document is a certificate of nothing at all. (Now Ireland also lets in Indian passports with Schengens or UK visas in them.) My experiences with Visa On Arrival have been mixed. Sri Lanka and Malaysia were good. Turkey was absolutely terrible. Even the guys at the airport said that if I ever were to come back I should just get a visa the usual way before leaving. Perhaps there are elements of racism and such like. But to be told, in Turkey, that Indian passport were inspected more closely than Iraqi ones was… a bit much IMHO.
