European visa hurdles: When you need two visas to reach one country

Illustration: TBS

Just a week before their scheduled flight to Greece for the 2024 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Global Challenge, the Bangladesh robotics team, guided by The Tech Academy, was informed that their visa applications had been denied.

This is not the team's first time representing Bangladesh on the global stage. They have previously participated in international competitions in Washington DC, Mexico, Switzerland, and Dubai. On each of those occasions, acquiring a visa was smooth sailing. 

"But this time around, we don't know why, our visa application has been denied for providing what they claimed unreliable information about our stay," lamented Shams Jaber, CEO of The Tech Academy in a recent conversation with The Business Standard. 

What's even more troubling is that, although their visa application was rejected on 13 September, they only found out about it on 17 September.

The reason? The response came via courier from New Delhi, where they had to apply for the visa through VFS Global at the Embassy of Greece in the New Delhi Consular Office.

"This means that if we submitted a written request to re-evaluate our application, it would take three to four days to reach Delhi via courier service. Even if our application were eventually accepted, the confirmation would take another three to four days to reach Dhaka, by which time our flight on the 24th would have already passed," explained Jaber.

Unfortunately, there is no Greek visa centre in Dhaka, meaning Bangladeshi nationals cannot apply for and receive a visa directly from their own country.

"I submitted 5 lakh taka to my agent, but in the end, I couldn't even attend the embassy in New Delhi, let alone get a visa," lamented Abbas Ali, a visa seeker affected by the closure of IVACs in Bangladesh in the month of August.

However, Jaber and his team were fortunate that, thanks to the diplomatic efforts of Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Greek authorities agreed to re-evaluate their visa applications, provided the passports were resubmitted in person.

Accordingly, a volunteer personally delivered the team's passports to New Delhi, where the Greek Embassy processed them. By 20 September, the visas were approved, and the passports were returned to Bangladesh the next day.

But not everyone is as lucky. Asif Mahmud, a private university student, also applied for Greece through VFS Global in the same manner a few months ago to attend an academic conference. 

However, his application was denied, and he found out only two days before his scheduled flight. "It was no longer possible for me to cancel my flight and get a refund," Asif said.

Unlike The Tech Academy, Asif had no one to provide an emergency recommendation on his behalf.

Most people in Bangladesh seeking European visas from the embassies accredited in New Delhi often face such unfortunate circumstances, as the acceptance rate for visas through this process is extremely low.

On top of that, the majority of applicants must travel from Bangladesh to New Delhi to physically attend interviews at the embassy, making the process of obtaining a visa even more challenging. 

This difficulty reached its peak in August when Indian Visa Application Centres in Bangladesh ceased providing visas to Bangladeshi nationals for a while following the dramatic shift of the country's political landscape.

As a result, many students and workers seeking visas for European countries, particularly Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Austria, were unable to travel to Delhi to attend embassy interviews or receive services for countries that do not have embassies or visa centres in Dhaka.

One such student is Mahmudul Hasan, who secured an opportunity to study in Poland. He had to attend a viva at the Polish embassy in Delhi to apply for his visa. However, due to the closure of IVACs (Indian Visa Application Centre), he and many others like him faced prolonged uncertainty.

"We needed to receive the visa by the end of September to complete our admission. However, since we were unable to obtain a double-entry visa for India to go to Delhi and meet with the embassy, we almost lost hope of making it," shared Mahmudul.

Fortunately, IVACs in Bangladesh partially reopened on 2 September, and gradually many people began receiving visas for India. But those students who needed visas or workers who required work permits by August became casualties of the IVAC closure.

"I submitted 5 lakh taka to my agent, but in the end, I couldn't even attend the embassy in New Delhi, let alone get a visa," lamented Abbas Ali (not his real name), who was hoping to work in the Czech Republic.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Embassy in Romania made a special arrangement earlier this month for the 800-900 students who received offer letters from various universities this year. 

They announced that Bangladeshi students can now go to Romania with a visa obtained from India as well as from Thailand and Bangkok. This change allows some students to travel to Thailand or Bangkok to receive their Romanian visa.

"But it's not feasible for everyone. Travelling to Delhi is relatively affordable, but the costs increase at least threefold when it comes to going to Thailand or Romania," shared Raisul Islam, who finally obtained his Indian visa on 12 September and went to Delhi, but is still awaiting his Romanian visa.

Also, many are still waiting for an IVAC appointment slot to submit their application for a double-entry visa to India, due to the substantial backlog caused by the recent closure.

"It would be much easier for all of us if we had a visa centre in Bangladesh where we could directly obtain our visas," Raisul added.

In fact, Bangladesh once had a visa centre for Romania. In February of last year, a six-member delegation from Romania visited Dhaka and announced that a temporary visa consulate office would be established in the country. 

Initially, an office was set up on the sixth floor of the BMET (Bureau for Manpower, Employment and Training) building in Kakrail, where workers began to be interviewed directly. It was also announced that 15,000 workers would be granted visas within six months.

However, not long after, the office was closed, and the officials returned to the Romanian office in Delhi. At that time, allegations arose that some BMET officials and the owners of two recruiting agencies had sought unethical benefits. There were also reports of Romanian officials being intimidated.

Aside from these reasons, one of the main factors why most European countries do not have dedicated visa centres in Bangladesh is that such centres require significant resources, which are not justified by the relatively low volume of applicants. As a result, they prefer using regional hubs like New Delhi or outsourcing visa processing to third-party agencies.

While this may be justifiable from their perspective, it is the general public in Bangladesh seeking European visas who bear the brunt of the situation, leaving them frustrated with their dependence on India and the lack of alternative options.

"To travel to Europe from almost anywhere in the world, you only need the visa of one country. But we need visas from two countries. First, we have to get permission from 'our elder brother' (referring to India), and if that permission is granted, only then is it possible. Otherwise, we are left with nothing but disappointment. It's as if we will never be able to break free from the chains of servitude," said Abdullah Al Mamun, a frustrated European visa seeker.