Everyone traveling to India need to apply for a visa. India is famous for their bureaucracy, so the apply for a visa needs to fill out many forms. First I have to get two Indian passport size photo, which is difference size than a Canadian passport. Then I have to get two letters of reference, one from my company and one from the company I am visiting. I also have to fill out a from provide detail information on my trip, answering irrelevant questions, such as how much I make. I feel that is an invade of privacy, want the Indian government wants my salary for? On what ground that they think my salary is related the nature of my travel? At last, I have to fill in the real application from, which ask not only my information, but also my parent’s information. How can where my dad was born be related to my trip?
India always boast their success in outsourcing in the high tech industry. They claim they will be one of the major economy power in the world. If they really want to go global, they really have to reform their traveling policy. They have to be more welcome to the foreigners. We go to you place to spend money, why you set up so many hurdles not letting me come? I can understand why USA have a tight visa policy, because they have the problem of illegal immigrants. No one wants to immigrate to India. I am pretty sure everyone travel to India for work wants to go home as soon as possible. They don’t have to worry about we will be staying in India illegally. Why can’t they just grant us visa free entry to save everyone’s trouble?
In Toronto, you have to mail your passport to the embassy to apply for the visa. They don’t process visa application over the counter anymore. That means, there’s no way for “express” service. If you need to travel to India, plan for at least a week of turn around time for your visa application. That also means nobody can travel to India for urgent business critical matters unless s/he has a valid visa already. This is very business unfriendly.
I have to wait a week to get my India visa too. Actually the India Consulate outsource the visa application to a travel agent company. Every one have to submit their application form to the travel agent to get the visa.