Did you ever have bad experience dealing with immigration?
Last night, I had a conversation with random strangers again about passport privilege. ¿Necesita visa para visitar los Estados Unidos? I asked the other person who mentioned that he has been to the US more than five times. As a record, he’s colombian in his mid forty with a broken English. It was making more sense that I asked in Spanish because to him apparently visa = pizza. He proceeded to tell me about the way he applied and how fast the process for him. To say the least, I was taken aback. For Indonesians, applying for a US visa is no joke. It is a long tedious process that involves a few background checks here and there, especially money.
Even within South East Asia, my movement though isn’t limited but I am well aware that we are still subject to rigorous background checks. There’s this unspoken rule that we shouldn’t look unfashionable and dress just right to avoid being mistaken as TKI or Indonesian migrant workers or even too poor to afford traveling. We have to appear just right to avoid unnecessary checks that could make us a subject of questions like, “ how much money do you bring?” or something similar even a visit to the specialized room for drug inspection. When other westerners would look borderline homeless or backpacker hobo and rarely gets this question.
But before I dive into the topic, passport privilege is basically the ability to be able to travel throughout the world freely based on the passport you possess.. When you converse with someone about traveling and when they tell you about how difficult it is to travel to some countries, know that their concerns are valid. I find that this is something some people are unable to comprehend. There are many paperworks involved that you would never ever experience if you are coming from a country with passport with the highest index and even just a high index.
When I saw on instagram, there are many post about a young person from the EU or US painting that traveling as a backpacker is easy as it looks, they forgot one thing that their movement and others are not the same. Even Indonesian itself posted some misleading information about how cheap traveling outside the country can be. It’s not that cheap and it depends on many factors. There are so many behind the scenes that I find most people aren’t honest about especially dealing with immigration. For example, I can’t be like a brokepacker from the EU or US with only 10k in my bank traveling through the world, is just not possible. Entering some EU or even the US, I have to prove my bank statement for 3 months that I have more than enough to cover my expenses while I am there. I also have to prove that I have reasons to come back home and not ending up becoming an illegal migrant worker.
Even when I was re-applying for passport, the officers asked what I do and was skeptical that I would be one of those illegal migrant workers. I was pissed and they kept telling me that, " well many cases like that happen" and it was just their preventive measures. Meanwhile, when I was in Bali, I saw many foreigners on a tourist visa, working and conducting business and they are not taxed for it.
Another annoying part about having weaker passport is that the time it took for the visa and the money spent could be gone if they are denied entry. As much as I hope for the world to be borderless, I think that it is not a good approach either as what we see in various parts of the world. However, it is ironic when people entering illegally are more accepted and the barrier for people to enter legally is met with various requirements and challenges.
It does not help either when the rules do not work equally. For example, foreigners who travel to Indonesia are allowed to travel anywhere and enter the country as long as they are double vaccinated. It is not the same with Indonesians, who must be triple vaccinated before leaving the country and even using public services including flights and various transportation. Dealing with immigration is also another challenge, just like I presented above.
Do you think it is possible to create a more equitable and fair system of international travel that does not discriminate based on passport strength?
 | 𝘔𝘢𝘤 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘢 & 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳 . 𝘈 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨, 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯! 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘈 𝘳𝘦-𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰. |
like it or not there is some privileges for many people from some country, but a lot of us just turn blind about this issue, because they are not affected by this. If only those things are done for the people from US or some county from EU, I believe that there will be a lot of comments and discussions about it, how they feel discriminated against.
Not to mention their behavior, thinking like they are the king here, and can do no wrong.
I remember when Britain decided to leave EU and they would need to apply for visa. I heard similar complain and feel like they are discriminated against. The thing is, many of us experience the scrutiny that they never ever felt. I saw a lot of odd things in Bali online and offline, it's pretty wild. I guess when I am traveling I generally have more worry than people with highest passport index :D as presented above hehe. I remember some of my friends doesn't have to book return flight but just to be safe, like I have everything sorted just in case and it certainly add extra costs.
I think I have some meme accounts on Instagram highlighting the shitty things foreigners do in Canggu. !LOLZ. It was hilarious and sad at the same time.
I think it is mainly because when things don't go according to their plan, they can get away pretty easily, or maybe our immigration will happily deport them back or they can contact their embassy. While we might have to spend some jail time because of that.
But at least you always have your backup plan whenever you go out abroad.
This is very relatable content. I relate so hard to money being wasted when you don't even get the visa at the end of the day. For example, one of the checks I had to do last year is a Tuberculosis test that is going to expire next month. Getting the certificate was hard, I wasn't able to travel, now I have to go through that stress again to get a new one if I want to travel.
The conditions are very stressful considering how those other nationals don't stress as much when coming to my own country. Having the funds doesn't even spare you if you're not high profile. You're automatically under high scrutiny just for holding your passport.
I don't think the system will ever be fair enough for all passport holders. Poorer and more controversial countries will always be at the bottom.
Often other nationals doesn't have to go through these checks if they just want to travel for a short period of time but of course, if they want to stay longer and such, there are some requirements needed. And yes, having funds don't often guarantee too, status matters as well at times 😄 and as much as it annoys me, it's just how it is. The international affairs can be very complex and I understand that part but it just unfairness treatment that irks me 100% of the time.
This reminds me of my bad experience while applying for my Schengen visa a couple of months ago 😆
It was a business trip and I'd applied it for more than a month before the departure itinerary, I made sure that the checklist was fulfilled and after that submit it to the official third party who handle the application. As that was my first time applying for the visa, I have to submit it in person and have to travel to Jakarta.
I was told that the application process generally takes 2 weeks, but unfortunately, up until the third day of my departure, I had not heard from the office handling the application. I tried contacting their office but only got a template reply saying that "we only receive the application, but all other processes are at the embassy and we can only wait for the results to come out from the embassy". Because of this, I also tried to contact the embassy but did not get any answer, so I finally decided to visit the embassy directly. Unfortunately at the entrance, the guard told me that I had to have an appointment and could not complain directly, and was directed again to contact the office where I applied for my visa.
After all my efforts, I got nowhere and ended up having to cancel my ticket less than 12 hours before the flight, which cost me 60% of the ticket. 2 days after the scheduled time, I then received notification that my visa was accepted, and luckily the office was still kind enough to accommodate another ticket for the trip. When I arrived at my destination country and met several other Indonesians there, they also told me the same thing, but they were luckier because their visas were issued on the last day before departure.
Thanks for the tip haha now I know that I should at least have a spare money just to buy the flight last minute. I can imagine the stress going through all of that because they can be strict but also quite inefficient at times. But I think it's way easier when you apply and having a business than maybe a freelancer or someone without a fixed office🤣 I'll have to see when I apply next time. Finger crossed.
I think, purchasing a flexible ticket (which is more expensive) could also be an option if you are planning to go to the destination at all costs.
I had even been ready to accept that I wouldn't be able to make the trip at that time 😆
At some point, having a fat account balance would be an advantage, to dispel their doubts regarding the "TKI" thing I guess 😅
Hope it goes well for you!
I usually travel with flexible ticket just cause I am pretty indecisive and can change my mind at any minute. Thanks for the tips tho :D
For me it is ironic to talk about this subject being Venezuelan, I think it is literally a nightmare even to travel to countries within South America itself.
I am not aware of the measures that have been applied, but for Venezuelans we are asked for a visa even to go to countries like Chile, considering that we are countries living basically in the same region XD. In the case of going to a country of "privileges" like USA, it's even worse; I have a friend who last year had to pay around 4-5k dollars to do all the paperwork and also prepare her for the interview they usually do.
Anyways, have you improved your Spanish? Haven't heard your voice in a while, lol. I still remember when we used to play Garticphone XD.
We're thinking about opening a Minecraft server with mods so if you have time to play lately, you know you can join us at some point :P
Send u a hug, macchi
Damn, that's something man. I heard chile is quite a well-off country in South America, maybe that's why. 4-5k for just paperwork is expensive, I definitely need to save up a lot cause I heard stories about it too. I have improved my spanish, I think? I am often found on tandem practicing my Spanish just in case. Those were the good days, I think I have to get out of my shell once in a while and talk to people again 😁 sadly though, I don't use minecraft but minetest. Maybe one day when I don't use linux anymore haha
You make good points. Passports are discrimination full stop and people should be free to travel where they want to unhindered.
Indeed, people should be free to travel whenever but sadly that's not the case. I am not sure if the world is going to be borderless anytime soon but let's hope that's the case and that we're moving there.
If the last few years has shown us anything, it is that they want us to travel much less.
Since I am an American living in Japan, it's a little complicated sometimes. Not necessarily for me, but for my kids, because I have to juggle both their American and Japanese passports and use the right one at the right time or we can get in trouble.
But overall, I hate the passport system. It should be easy for anyone to get a passport and visa. I understand there are bad people in every country who are trying to game the system, but regular innocent people should not be punished for the actions of some.
That said, I don't know a solution...
Does Japan allow dual citizenship? I always find it fascinating with the country that allows it. I guess, you can unlock different places with both and know when to use the US or Japan ones. I don't think anyone really knows a solution to it just because politically, it's quite complex too.
Japan allows dual-citizenship only until 20 years old. At that time, the person must decide on only one. If the other country allows dual-citizenship regardless of age, many people tell the Japanese government that they are choosing to remain Japanese but then they just "forget" to renounce their other citizenship. The Japanese gov is well aware of this but kind of ignores it. So in that kind of "don't ask, don't tell" way, yes, Japan allows dual-citizenship.
That's interesting, I guess one day your children could have some benefit having dual passport since both are golden passports too 😁 especially Japan.
That's just.... i just can't imagine the hassle of taking care of their requirements so that you can settle there without thinking much about the passport. 🤦
😄 Well it happens and you can read some experiences below that sounds, a bit too much but that's just the reality.
There’s definitely a lot to say about having a golden passport from a country like the US, Canada or the UK and getting unlimited access to most countries, save a few or course. I let my passport expire a few years ago since having kids we knew that we wouldn’t be traveling in that manner any time soon. Now that my son is older though I think we may get ours again so we can have it and it also is helpful for ID for things.
It's always nice to have them up to date and I wonder actually how easy getting a passport there. Where I am from, it's not that costly but the intimidating questions can be overwhelming haha.
The world is a mad, chaotic place. I hope it's possible
Nothing else is fair in the world (sorry to be cynical).
I'm sorry it is difficult for you, and so many others.
😂 I used to dream about a borderless world, this is also one of the reason I get into crypto. It was more about the idea and the values rather than the monetary aspect. Although it seems like, that borderless world I dreamt about don't seem to be that feasible.
We have to work at the edges. Create our own borderless world in our lives, in our heads. Can't give up. Reach across those artificial boundaries, just as we are doing now.
They (whoever they are) put up walls. We bore tiny holes in them.
Try not to be frustrated. You have a lifetime of determined action ahead of you. Going to take a lot of energy 🐝😇🍀
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As a PH passport holder, I have the same sentiment as you. I got denied a South Korean visa and a Canada visa. Fortunately, I got a Japan visa with US$2000 converted to PH Peso currency and so as taking a Schengen Visa. I need to save money to get a visa.