Aibu for asking my partner not to pick India as a holiday choice for us when i may get my visa rejected?

[Libertyy]

My grandparents and father are Pakistani born, I am considered by the Indian immigration as “of Pakistani origin” and my British citizenship makes little difference, just like my partner is classed as “of Indian origin” (his are also eu nationals but were born in India with OCI cards) by Pakistani immigration, therefore despite us being British citizens we can’t apply for an e visa to each other’s ethnic country of origin, it has to be a regular visa at the embasy and there’s no guarantee of it being approved. Lots of people get rejected despite being on a western passport. I know they can be strict with Pakistani families who have an army background and my grandparents fathers were in the army.

AIBU for not wanting to waste money over uncertainty of a visa application and for asking him to consider a different country instead? He wants us to try and see if it’ll be accepted which I can see his point tbh but I don’t know if the rejection will make a difference when applying to other countries. Just for context, I have no criminal record and have an ESTA approved and an eta for Canada so I know it’s nothing about me personally, I would love to go but I don’t want to get my hopes up as there are poor diplomatic relations between the two countries

Bump

Unless there is a particular reason for visiting India (relatives, etc). I would tend to agree, better to avoid the hassle and go elsewhere if it is just for a holiday.

He seems to think there’s nothing to lose trying but then I’d have to declare that I was denied entry when applying for visas to other countries we don’t have visa free access to! I’m not sure I want a rejection on my record affecting my chances of gaining entry into other countries, as the reason for the rejection won’t be instantly obvious to other immigration authorities since they wouldn’t specifically ask about my grandparents and parents being Pakistani considering India would just say “security reasons.”

I think in those circumstances I wouldn't risk it. It's not worth it, and as someone who has had the misfortune of having to deal with the Indian High Commission with an Indian citizen( my mother) in tow, they are almost deliberately unhelpful. So I can imagine they would try and make it as difficult as possible if they could for someone of Pakistani origin!

YANBU. India are. Their visa system is ridiculous.
Have been there a few times and it’s the most illogical and exasperating system. Am sure most people know that and a refusal of a visa from India is no shame for anyone. I would give it a go anyway so you know. He will probably want to visit India at some point. Good luck.

I assume if you don’t get a visa, then your travel insurance won’t pay out so you’ll lose your money. Do you have enough spare cash to throw away several grand on this? Will you be able to afford to rebook elsewhere or will he then go without you?

if it was to visit family I could see the reason to risk it, but just for a holiday, why not go somewhere else that’s less of a risk?

My mum was born in Pakistan too. I haven’t tried but a friend at work who was in a similar position told me that often India don’t outright decline but they just keep you hanging then ghost you for ages. So you might not get denied entry as such.

What was your mum’s experience if you don’t mind me asking?

This happened to someone I know. Not worth the hassle as stress. They had to change plans.

It’s a daft rule.

From my experience, Indian visas aren't rejected on the basis you've described.... they're simply not granted and it's a long waiting game whereby you pretty much give up as so much time has elapsed. However, I have lots of Indian family members who have visited Pakistan. 😊

People with Pakistani heritage seem to have to do an affidavit/declaration when applying for an Indian visa to say they don’t hold/have never held a Pakistani passport/ID document. I deal with these professionally but don’t get to hear the outcome but people seem to be optimistic that they will get a visa.

Exactly, because I just know that he’ll get excited and book the tickets assuming the visa will be approved, it can take ages to even hear back (can be months.) in that time we can literally just go elsewhere. We don’t have money to waste, but if he books it without me I am happy for him to go without me but it would be a pointless considering he’s doing it as a holiday for us after our marriage. I’ve told him If he does that, it would be up to him to cover the costs as he doesn’t share finances with me and has no access to my money and obviously I can’t go with no visa.

Aye they do as you know for India, even if you never have had any of the above you’re still treated as Pakistani but I do have a Pakistani ID document so I suppose it is worse for me than if I hadn’t got one issued this year. Even with Pakistan, they can issue a visa on your British passport despite knowing you have citizenship and are eligible for the id card/passport. So lots of people get confused thinking they’re not a Pakistani national and think they’ll get the visa when it’s likely it just won’t get granted. Do they ever come back to you again asking to book? I suppose that would be a sign that theirs did get approved

As others have pointed out that it either doesn’t get granted or they get ghosted for a long period of time, did this happen to someone you know? Do you know how long they were waiting?

Yes it did. They were kept waiting couple months and had to change their plans in the end.

Do you know what eventually happens or is it just no response or not granted? I would have loved to go but it doesn’t sound very promising realistically

I also heard that if you have no personal connections in India as a Pakistani, then you’ve got no chance. But if you have then there’s a chance. Do you know how true this is?

@LibertyyCan you speak to a visa agency they are likely to have experience with this.

I have used Indiavisa.co.uk they are very helpful and they only deal with Indian visas, would give you an honest answer im sure.

I’ve no idea sorry. You could try the connection thing. But have a cut off date in mind so
youre not waiting and waiting

Apply for visa when and if it is granted book tickets. 🤷‍♀️

Could you go to Nepal instead on holiday and then try cross the border overland to visit India too?

There are loads of countries to visit. Why not exhaust some of those before risking being turned down for a visa and having to declare it.

I arrange lots of visas for work including India and completely agree with you. You can do a tourist visa online, but the form specifically asks for parental details, if you hold any other passports and where you have travelled to in the last ten years.

It will cost you to apply and I wouldn’t waste money on it given they might refuse it.

I wouldn't waste my money trying to visit a country that is clearly profiteering off rejecting people for no good reason.

If they've made it clear they don't like 'your kind', I'd spend my hard earned money supporting tourism in a country that does.

Tell your DH you don't want to visit his country until it's more welcoming to visitors like you generally.

Do those who are saying I am BU, do you mean I should risk it and it’s not a big deal to try?