The plight of cross-border families amid Indian visa complications

Arif Billah, an interior designer from Jashore, married a girl from South 24 Parganas, India, whom he met online in 2023. The marriage took place with the consent of both families.

However, since 5 August last year, Arif has been facing problems getting an Indian visa appointment, even through the Indian Embassy. As a result, he cannot go to India, and his son's passport isn't being processed there. Because of this, his wife and newborn son are unable to come to Bangladesh.

"I am such an unfortunate father that I haven't been able to hold my son even nine months after his birth," Arif said with deep regret during a recent conversation with The Business Standard. 

"My wife and I were in two different places during the delivery," he added. "For the past seven months, I've been trying to get an Indian visa slot, but due to the limited availability, I haven't been able to submit my application. Getting this visa is crucial right now because my wife has been stuck in India for almost a year."

Arif explained that his wife had to stay in India this long because their newborn didn't have any travel documents. Since Arif is a foreigner, his physical presence is required at the passport office in India to apply for his son's passport.

"Without a passport and visa, my son can't come to Bangladesh—and I can't go to India either. I can't put into words how helpless I feel," he said.

Ongoing complications with Indian visas have taken a heavy toll on many cross-border families made up of Bangladeshi and Indian citizens. Hundreds of such families are in distress and unable to reunite for important personal reasons due to issues like the unavailability of visa appointment slots and frequent rejections.

Several Bangladeshi citizens have shared their struggles, ranging from being unable to bring pregnant spouses to Bangladesh for medical care to the heartbreak of being separated from their newborn children. According to sources, nearly 200 families have been affected by this crisis.

Mohammad Rubel Hossain, a resident of Keraniganj in Dhaka, is going through a similar ordeal. His wife is seven months pregnant, and he says his presence beside her is crucial at this stage.

However, due to ongoing visa issues, he has been trying for the past 15 days to secure a slot to submit his visa application, without success.

"To get an Indian Entry X-1 visa, the marriage certificate must be attested by the Indian High Commission, which requires the Indian spouse to be present in person. Despite her condition, my wife had to travel to Bangladesh to complete all the necessary procedures," Rubel said.

He went on to describe that after not getting a slot for 15 days, he submitted a file along with a letter of request to the Indian High Commission, but he hasn't received a response yet. 

"I'm really worried about my wife," he said. "If I don't get the visa now, how can I send her to India alone and complete the remaining procedures?"

Rubel also mentioned that if the Indian High Commission could simplify the process of attestation of marriage documents and other related formalities, everyone would benefit, as the trend of marriages between citizens of the two neighbouring countries has significantly increased since last year, compared to previous years.

Rubel further said, "At this moment, my visa is very crucial. I would request the Indian High Commission to consider a special arrangement for the Entry X-1 visa, so that those who are family-related in both countries can at least find mental peace during this difficult situation, I hope."

Meanwhile, Manikul Mashihur, a citizen of Chapainawabganj district in Bangladesh, has been travelling to India on an Entry X-1 visa since 2022, but due to the ongoing situation, he is currently in trouble with his two-year-old daughter. 

His and his daughter's visas expired in the first week of January this year. Since then, his daughter and he have submitted their files three times in Rajshahi, but they have received their passports back without visas each time. 

Later, when he went to the Assistant High Commissioner's office in Rajshahi with his wife, they were told that the officer was not present and they couldn't say anything. 

"My father-in-law is deceased, my only brother-in-law suffered a brain stroke last December and is bedridden, and my mother-in-law was recently hospitalised due to high blood sugar and pressure," Manikul shared. 

Because of this, his wife could only visit her mother briefly one day and had to return the next morning, as she couldn't leave their young child alone with her grandmother. All these reasons have left her mentally shattered. She has been in Bangladesh for the last four months, anxiously waiting for their daughter's visa so that she can go to his mother.

Manikul further added, "After not getting a visa in Rajshahi, I have been trying for the last 35 days to get a slot to submit my file in Dhaka, but haven't been successful. Subsequently, on 4 March, I submitted a file along with a letter of request to the Indian High Commission office in Dhaka, but I have not received any call yet to submit the application."

He believes that if the Indian High Commission separates the process of submitting Entry X-1 visa applications from all other categories, it will greatly benefit them. 

"Because we have an Indo-Bangla group with over 250 members, all of whom are facing some kind of problem. Therefore, I hope that the Indian High Commission will come up with a fair and easy solution, at least considering the spouses."

Several officials from Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs have said they have not been formally informed about the matter. Since the issuance of visas is entirely India's prerogative, there will still be some efforts on Bangladesh's part.

However, the interests of Indian citizens are also involved in this complexity. Therefore, they might also take initiative. If that happens, the matter could become easier to resolve, said the officials.