Its been two years. Reunion long way off

An international passenger shows her RT-PCR Test report on arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal-3i n New Delhi. Pic/Getty Images

Na aka Not Available. The message pops up once too many on a Telegram group comprising 65,139 members. On December 8, a few of them struck gold. "Delhi slots available," one member shared. It was followed by a chain of responses from others, who had experienced similar luck. The group was started recently for H-1B and H4 visa holders in the US, seeking leads on consular appointments, to get their visas extended or renewed. Another Telegram community for US visa stampings with 80,297 members, focuses on addressing issues concerning emergency appointments - every day, the group is flooded with questions related to scheduling and re-scheduling interviews. For many of them, who've spent the last 20 months away from home, unable to meet their families, the consular appointment is their only "ticket" to a reunion. Their wait has been inordinate.

With the American embassy and consulates in India, including the US Consulate General in Mumbai, continuing to take measures to protect its staff and customers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the number of visa applicants in their indoor waiting rooms at any given time, have been limited. "These necessary precautions, along with staffing shortage, may result in significant wait times for visa interview appointments," Nick Novak, spokesperson, US Consulate General, Mumbai, admitted to mid-day.

Travellers seen queuing up for document verification at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Under normal circumstances, a foreign national is permitted to stay in the US for a period of three years on H-1B status. At the end of that period, they are able to apply for a visa extension up to a total of six years. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Indian tech professional working in Silicon Valley, who has not been able to meet his ageing parents in the last two years, says that if and when your H-1B visa expires, the employee's company usually secures an approval of extension to allow them to continue working. The trouble, he says, is not having it stamped on the passport - which is mandatory if they need to exit the country, and which again is impossible without an appointment at an American consulate back home. "If I exit the country now, it would mean I cannot return; at least, not until I have the visa stamped," says New York-based Amrantha Kalra, a mental health therapist, who after many failed attempts, has managed to secure an appointment at the consulate's Mumbai office for February 2022.

While the H-1B visa hurdle is peculiar only to the US, the tightening of borders the world over and the sweeping visa restrictions implemented in the last two years, have left the immigrant population in a flux. With India too, extending its international flight ban until January 31 in light of the spread of the Omicron variant of SARS CoV-2 virus, families abroad feel both slighted and dejected. They've suffered death, loss and anxiety that came with the pandemic - and all while being away from home.

Nick Novak

Auckland-based marketing and communications specialist Shivangi Bose and her husband Varun Verencar are still grieving the passing away of their parents. Bose, who earlier lived in Mumbai, moved to New Zealand in February 2020 - just a month before the pandemic caught on - to be with her husband. In September that same year, Verencar's father Subash contracted COVID-19, and became seriously ill. "My husband has an Australian citizenship. At the time, New Zealand had completely sealed its borders. Only citizens who were stuck abroad, were able to return home, after following strict quarantines rules. In the early days of the pandemic, the rules were such that if people with Resident Class and Permanent Resident visas left the country, they couldn't return. Despite the strict rules, Varun was desperately trying to go home and be with his dad," Bose shared in a telephonic chat. On consulting travel experts, they learnt that if Verencar left the country, he'd have to reapply for visa to work in New Zealand. This wouldn't have been the case, during non-COVID times, as citizens or permanent residents of Australia don't need to apply for a visa to live and work in New Zealand.

Since Bose was on her husband's visa then, she'd have automatically been considered an illegal resident if he left; the couple hence, had no option, but to stay put. Verencar's father passed away a few days later. "We were just about coming to terms with his death, when my father [Gouranga Bose] took ill, following a spinal surgery. He couldn't recover from it, and passed away in December 2020," Bose says. It's been a year since their deaths, but the couple hasn't been able to return home, as New Zealand enforced strict lockdown measures starting August, when the rest of the world was opening up. The country has only just about begun to end lockdown curbs, says Bose, who is hopeful about visiting her family post April, when it reopens its borders to international travellers.

Ajay Awtaney, editor, LiveFromALounge.com

A New Zealand citizen and mental health professional, who lost her parent in Mumbai in December last year, says that the managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) policy adopted by the country, made travelling, even in case of an emergency, a huge deterrent. As per the law, all travellers are legally required to have a voucher confirming their place in managed isolation before boarding their flight. "Getting an MIQ spot on the online portal can be a huge challenge. Your flight arrival date needs to be the same as that of the MIQ. If the flight gets cancelled or re-scheduled, everything can go awry. One has to also pay a hefty sum for MIQ," she says, adding that the rules are slowly being relaxed. Fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens, along with residence-class visa holders, will be able to enter the country without undertaking a period of MIQ, starting January 16, 2022.

Where some are awaiting a reunion, there are a few like Malati Naidu, a sales and marketing professional, in Shanghai, China, who is facing a health emergency and is hoping against hope to have her family by her side. Naidu has been living in China for nearly two decades, while her husband works in Mumbai; the couple has a 15-year-old son, who lives with Naidu. "Before the pandemic I would visit Mumbai, every two or three months. Or else, my husband would make a trip. It was convenient for both of us." Naidu last visited home just before the pandemic escalated in China. Though the initial months were tough on her, she decided to soldier on, as her son had his Grade X exams. What she didn't see coming was an unexpected, health situation - Naidu was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 2020. "I needed my husband by my side, because it was an important schooling year for my son, and I didn't want my condition to come in the way of that. I couldn't return home, as it would jeopardise his education. We tried every possible route. My company even wrote to the embassy, sharing my diagnosis report, in order to get my husband a visa on humanitarian grounds." But, nothing came of these petitions. When Naidu went in for surgery earlier this year, she had just a few friends around as support. "My son was going through a tough time. The fear of losing his parent had taken a toll on his mental health," says Naidu, who had her second surgery last week.

Sales and marketing professional Malati Naidu has been living in Shanghai for 20 years, while her husband works in Mumbai. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 2020. Despite the health emergency, her husband didn't get a visa to support her during treatment

Media professional Niharika Kalra, who has been working in Singapore for nearly a decade, says its tougher for people like her, who are currently between jobs. "My work permit is in limbo, so I cannot leave," says Kalra, who hasn't been able to meet her parents and grandparents in Chandigarh since February 2020. "The government recently started a vaccinated travel lane that allowed for quarantine-free travel, and India had just about fallen under the purview." But, with Omicron rearing its ugly head, Kalra fears travelling to India may have to wait. "I cannot put my family at risk."

The Silicon Valley-based techie, who just secured an H-1B visa appointment this week, says that after he shared his plight on Twitter, many replied to him, saying he should focus on returning home for good. "This is easier said than done. My wife and I have built a life for ourselves here. Our children go to school. We can't uproot everyone. It's not like life is going to be any easier back home," he says.

Auckland-based Shivangi Bose who moved from Mumbai to be with husband Varun Verencar in February 2020, lost her father-in-law and father within a span of three months. The couple couldn't return home due to New Zealand's travel restrictions

At this point, the US is prioritising visas for students (F/M/J), crew members (C1/D), and temporary workers (H/L). Appointments for January 2022 B1/B2 interview waiver (i.e. dropbox) applications have recently been opened, shared Novak. "We encourage Indians who are working or studying in the US in legal status to reconsider discretionary travel to India. Visa holders who enter the US on a student or work visa are normally admitted for ‘duration of status' and remain in legal status as long as they have a valid I-797 (workers) or I-20 (students). These applicants are lawfully present in the US and will remain so until/unless they depart - a new visa is only necessary to re-enter the US if they depart. Non-immigrant visa appointments remain limited and those with an emergency need to travel to the United States will be prioritised for processing. Individuals who must travel should note that visa processing delays are likely and we cannot guarantee a visa within a specific time frame," Novak said, cautioning, "If travellers still plan to travel back to India, they should be prepared for an
extended stay."

Ajay Awtaney, editor, LiveFromALounge.com, an aviation website focussed on India, says that sealing the borders seems to be the go-to solution of most governments. "The aviation industry was just picking up after a long period of grounding. But with constantly-changing rules regarding airport testing and quarantine etc, everything seems to be a bit messy. The intentions are good, but it's the people who are suffering. By and large, the world seems to be opening up, except for certain pockets, which are actually chasing a zero-COVID strategy. This is why Australia and New Zealand were shut for the longest time," he says.

Shivangi Bose, marketing and communications specialist, Auckland

Awtaney adds that most countries, including India, are just being very cautious. "In fact, until September you couldn't even arrive in India on a tourist visa."

According to him, domestic travel has returned nearly 90 per cent to how the situation was pre-pandemic. "Hotels in Goa and Jaipur are running full right now. Internationally, while people are travelling, the key factor that's holding them back is high-ticket prices. At present, international flights are operating under special air-bubble agreements with India [India has arrangements with 32 countries]. This means that Indians flying out, cannot take connecting flights, where such agreements have been made. Many have to hence take non-stop flights as a compulsion. We are seeing a huge inequality between the number of people who want to travel and the number of seats available. Due to limited number of flights, prices are skyrocketing. It's one of the reasons why most of the people are unable to travel internationally."

65K
No. of members on a Telegram group for H-1B and H4 visa holders in the US, seeking leads on consular appointments

Jan
Month in 2022 when fully vaccinated individuals can enter NZ