Why did the US cancel my visa based on unverified complaints?
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Dear Barrack Obama,
I was nominated for an international fellowship program of the United Nations (UN) to be held in your country. After due process, I had acquired travel visa. However, the US Embassy in Nepal, all of a sudden, cancelled my visa without furnishing any justification; thereby prohibiting me from participating in the program.
After being nominated for the fellowship, I applied for visa at the US Embassy in Nepal on June 21 with UN's invitation letter and Visa Request Letter. The Embassy allotted July 8 as the date for interview. On the day, the counselor asked questions about me, my office, the way I obtained the fellowship, and about my planned activities after going to the US.
After going through UN's Visa Request Letter, the counselor said that I would be given visa and asked me to collect it from Nepal Investment Bank (NIB). Accordingly, I received five-year multiple visa on the third day of the application.
Then, I prepared for the 70th UN General Assembly with 14 other journalists of different nations, to meet hundreds of guests and journalists of different nations, and to take different academic classes and visit different media houses and INGOs and interact with them. After the program, we have to publish two stories or articles in our paper on issues related to UN. I began doing necessary homework.
On the fourth day of receiving visa, however, I received a call from the US Embassy. The lady on the phone said, "We want to see your visa as there might have been some error. Please visit the office next morning." "What sort of error?" I asked. "We have noticed some errors in visa of those who had applied on June 21. Your visa also might contain some error. The error will be identified after we see the visa," she said, adding, "This can even affect your travel." "Did you not read the notice published in Kantipur daily some days before?" she added. "I must have missed it," I replied.
The next day I visited the Embassy. The previous interviewer repeated same questions to me that she had asked earlier. I replied patiently. But, in the end, she said, "Sorry for this time." She then stamped my visa with 'Canceled without Prejudice'. "Why is my Visa cancelled?" I asked. She gave me a paper saying that everything has been clearly written there. I was shocked. I could not see any reason behind the cancellation of my visa.
The next day, I came to know that the Embassy had told me a lie that a notice had been published in Kantipur about visa errors of certain applicants. I immediately consulted with my editors and friends. Everyone was shocked and could not believe my words. However, after seeing the stamp in my Visa, my editors started investigating the cancellation.
Immediately, I also notified Zvi Muskal, Program Coordinator of the UN Fellowship. I had earlier sent him the scanned version of my passport to him. He informed that they had been preparing a 15-member portfolio of participants and in the process of making accreditation cards needed to participate in the UN Assembly. The coordinator was shocked to hear about the cancellation of my visa. He immediately called me and said, "Basically, the visa was cancelled due to some sort of detailing error. Visit the embassy and have your visa reissued."
Later, I came to know about the reason for the cancellation through my editors. Someone had reported to the Embassy that "this man will not return from the US and plans to stay there". I visited the Embassy next day. "Somebody reported that you will not return from the US," Embassy officials confirmed.
I have been enjoying my journalism in Nepal. I have no plans of staying in the US. I know the importance of the UN Fellowship. It would improve my career prospects. But someone with an evil intent has tried to obstruct my career. I think this was planned by one of my competitors who failed to be selected as a fellow.
But why did a democratic country like the US cancel my visa based on unverified complaints? Had there been any problem, the Embassy should have rejected my visa application outright. Why did it do so after granting me visa without cross-checking the reality? If someone had reported bad things about me, why didn't the Embassy confirm it with my office? Why didn't it consult with the UN agency which awarded me the fellowship?
The UN offers this sponsored fellowship every year to citizens and journalists of under-developed countries. But the US Embassy is depriving people like me of an opportunity to investigate different international issues and improve our career prospects.
I am not sad that I was denied a chance to participate in the UN program and to visit the US. The cancellation has tormented me a lot because my passport now will be held in doubt by other countries as well. When I apply for visa to any other country what will I tell the counselor when s/he asks me about my cancelled visa? Shall I say that I have charges that I intend to stay in the US? Similarly, on what basis will the UN accept me for any other fellowships in the future?
I ask for justice for the suffering I had to go through without any fault of my own. A democratic country like the US cannot be so cavalier about the handling of a passport issued by a sovereign country and deny someone visa for unfounded reasons.
The author is a senior correspondent at Nagarik daily
