Two designers from our client Befree are planned to come to India on their yearly visit to meet producers and plan collections for next season. The girls applied for visa at the Indian consulate in St.Petersburg, Russia for a tourist visa, to avoid all the documentation for a business visa, and with the tons of russians coming to India its never any problem. Amazingly, after 10 days of waiting, on Friday 7th March (the girls are supposed to fly sunday 9th) the Indian consulate decided they needed more documents and asked them to come back and meet on tuesday the 11th with the documentation like hotel reservation etc(!). This is pretty strange and unusual as they didnt ask this documents before, and I have had atleast 5 business visitors in last 5 months from Russia who were never asked for such documents.
After trying to figure things out by explaning the real reason for their visit is business and not travel and also how important it is for trade etc etc...and trying best on Friday, the girls were asked to leave as the embassy was closed and matters could only be settled on Tuesday when they reopen.
Left with no choice, the girls almost postponed the trip, and I ended cancelling all the producer meetings I had scheduled with them.
On saturday 8th March - a holiday, out of the blue I get a call from some stranger in Russia, speaking in Indian english, asking who I was and if I knew two girls in Russia who were planning to come to India. Ofcourse, I do and tell him as much. He asks me details of my business and after feeling that the girls have genuine reason to go to India, albeit not for travel but for Business asks me to send a business Invitation ASAP as he wants to "not trouble two good girls who want to come to India and feels responsible to enable all possible trade between India and Russia".
Pretty AMAZING and most unusual!
The two designers and their boss, and I are still stunned on why the hell was the visa not granted in first place and how the hell did the guy from consulate call back on a holiday, and went out of his way to grant the visa.
Especially after having faced the rigid visa consulates of USA, UK, EU I wonder how much flexible the consular offices can be and enable better cooperation and experiences for individuals plannng to travel by taking more initiative and paying a bit more attention to individual cases!
After trying to figure things out by explaning the real reason for their visit is business and not travel and also how important it is for trade etc etc...and trying best on Friday, the girls were asked to leave as the embassy was closed and matters could only be settled on Tuesday when they reopen.
Left with no choice, the girls almost postponed the trip, and I ended cancelling all the producer meetings I had scheduled with them.
On saturday 8th March - a holiday, out of the blue I get a call from some stranger in Russia, speaking in Indian english, asking who I was and if I knew two girls in Russia who were planning to come to India. Ofcourse, I do and tell him as much. He asks me details of my business and after feeling that the girls have genuine reason to go to India, albeit not for travel but for Business asks me to send a business Invitation ASAP as he wants to "not trouble two good girls who want to come to India and feels responsible to enable all possible trade between India and Russia".
Pretty AMAZING and most unusual!
The two designers and their boss, and I are still stunned on why the hell was the visa not granted in first place and how the hell did the guy from consulate call back on a holiday, and went out of his way to grant the visa.
Especially after having faced the rigid visa consulates of USA, UK, EU I wonder how much flexible the consular offices can be and enable better cooperation and experiences for individuals plannng to travel by taking more initiative and paying a bit more attention to individual cases!
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