Government should ask for visa-free travel to India

Nov 17, 2024
Letters

Dear Editor,

I am surprised that while we are seeking visa-free travel to other countries, we have not asked for visa-free travel to India, for whom almost half of the population of Guyana has origins.

India and Guyana has had good diplomatic relations over the years. Indo-Guyanese would like to visit India for sightseeing and the Indian experience. They would not hide away and stay illegally as they would do in USA, Canada, and elsewhere. Guyanese just want to be able to visit, not stay. India is a vast sub-continent with many things to see and experience. It will take many visits to cover all the highlights. But if you have to apply for a visa every time, that is tedious and discouraging.

The Indian government should be able to grant a request from the Guyana Government for visa-free travel as that will be a low risk for India to open up for visits by Guyanese. I had visited India twice but the visas were for a short term. If I had a 10-year visa, it would be easier to pick up and go on visits.

I can imagine the Indian government would find it easy to grant 10-year travel visas to Guyanese, because we qualify for priority Person of Indian Origin (PIO) treatment. So why has our government not asked for that or the Hindu organizations that take groups on religious pilgrimages to India not asked for visa-free travel? Or did we ask and were denied.

Granting visa-free travel to India during Mr. Modi’s visit would be a great gesture to memorialize the PM’s visit.

Yours sincerely,

M. Singh