Visa-free travel to Europe

11 Responses to Visa-free travel to Europe

1. Patrick Ng | 31 May 2009 at 11:39 am | Reply

   I can only hope that some Mauritians don’t try to be “smart” and close the doors for other Mauritians who want to play by the rules.

2. Eddy | 31 May 2009 at 10:07 pm | Reply

   Well, there’d be at most 1.5 million illegal immigrants from Mauritius, assuming the whole population decide to become so. In this regard, I’d say that Mauritius presents a very low risk for the signatory countries.

   Eddy.

3. Patrick Ng | 1 June 2009 at 12:18 am | Reply

   You can now cross the channel without needing a visa :-)

4. clive | 1 June 2009 at 5:31 am | Reply

   That’s leave the risk of being deported very high if the customs officer do not get your la tete. That was the fate of a hotel employee who was granted visa to stay in the UK temporarily but who was deported with no official reason. The unofficial one being he is a member of a particular community.

5. Eddy Young | 1 June 2009 at 9:03 am | Reply

   Clive,

   Rumours and speculation.

   Immigration officers have to justify their decisions. It’s not just a matter of someone refusing you entry because (s)he does not like you. An interview can last hours before a visa is granted. During that time, the answers given by the traveller are verified. I know because my cousin came here and was held overnight while his answers were cross-checked.

   Eddy.

6. Patrick Ng | 1 June 2009 at 12:03 pm | Reply

   @Eddy
   They don’t need a lot of illegal immigrants to become very suspicious. A few is all it takes. For a while they were suspicious in Canada too, albeit a long time ago. When one of my uncles was applying for immigration in Canada (from within the US), the interviewer told him that Mauritian passports were not viewed positively.

   @Clive
   I saw that article in L’Express. It would be interesting to hear the other side’s version.

   Going to Europe with a Mauritian passport (before June 2009) with a Mauritian passport and a Canadian passport was like night and day.

7. clive | 1 June 2009 at 5:10 pm | Reply

   @ Eddy
   The voyager was held in custody and deported back without any explanation. The article can be found on the following link:

   http://www.lexpress-newspaper.com/epapermain.aspx?queryed=9&boxid=7921375&parentid=5044&eddate=04/29/09

   Now i leave you to decide whether this is called speculation or another.

8. Eddy | 1 June 2009 at 8:32 pm | Reply

   I read the article. I repeat, there is nothing unusual there. As I said, my cousin was held in the so-called “centre de detention”, which is really just a waiting room with locked doors (for obvious reasons). The immigration officers gave him food although he did not get a bed to sleep on. When we asked the officers why he was being kept, they said that they still had a long queue to process and they could not interview him until the next day.

   Of course, it is not ideal if your intentions are honest, but I doubt there has been foul play. Every visitor who is selected for questioning is subjected to the same treatment. Mind you, *every* action taken by officials in the UK is scrutinised, and an unfair visa refusal will not go un-noticed.

   Eddy.

9. Patrick Ng | 1 June 2009 at 8:52 pm | Reply

   It would be interesting to hear what the reason of his deportation was if Arvind Boolell did ask for an explanation.

   I would like to know the versions of both sides before I can say who is right or who is wrong. On one hand, some Mauritians do try to be “smart” but not all of them. On the other hand, immigration officers hold some power and can make life difficult for visitors. I know it, because I’ve experienced some bad times when applying for a French visa in Toronto. Moreover, I was asked so many questions when I traveled to France/England/Switzerland with my Mauritian passport, but none when I traveled with my Canadian one.

10. Patrick Ng | 1 June 2009 at 8:57 pm | Reply

    I would like to add that sometimes being an Arab these days can work against oneself when flying. There was a famous case in Canada not too long ago. Maher Arar on his way back to Canada from USA, was held and deported not back to Canada, but to Syria.

11. clive | 2 June 2009 at 1:56 pm | Reply

    Holding a euporean, american or any developed country’s passport does open wide avenues, for obvious reasons. Someone with a developing country’s passport will be subject to further scrutiny than someone from a developed.