'Not Interested In Marrying Your Men': Investor Criticises Schengen Visa Application Process

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New Delhi: An investor spoke up on Wednesday about her terrifying experience asking for a Schengen visa, a form of document that enables entry into a collection of 27 European nations. A Schengen visa requires absurd amounts of paperwork, according to investor Ujjavala Bothra. 

The amount of paperwork for a Schengen visa is insane! Why is it so difficult to understand: 1. We are not interested in marrying your men, thank you 2. We are actually adding to the GDP of your country!! Bothra posted on Twitter on Tuesday as she applied for a visa to Norway.

The amount of paperwork for a Schengen visa is insane! Why is it so difficult to understand:

1. We are not interested in marrying your men, thank you
2. We are actually adding to the GDP of your country!! pic.twitter.com/ovul90ZsuQ — Ujjavala Bothra (@ujjavalabothra) April 25, 2023

Bothra stated that although her appointment was scheduled for 11:30 am, it was actually at 2 pm that she was called. She questioned, "What is the point of booking a slot?" Furthermore, Norway's website's document checklist is out-of-date.

She added that a single sheet of printing cost her Rs 150. Bothra referred to her visa ordeal as "soul-crushing," which is an understatement.

The amount of paperwork for a Schengen visa is insane! Why is it so difficult to understand:

1. We are not interested in marrying your men, thank you
2. We are actually adding to the GDP of your country!! pic.twitter.com/ovul90ZsuQ — Ujjavala Bothra (@ujjavalabothra) April 25, 2023

The corporation VFS Global, which offers visa, passport, and consular services to governments and diplomatic missions around the world, was also criticised by the speaker. The investor wrote, "We 100 percent need more competition to @VFSGlobal - Monopolies suck!"

A travel content creator named Tanya Khanijow discovered certain logins among dense documentation. According to her, a person can enter the Schengen area after applying for a visa.

Benja, another user, said that Norway is far too strict. "I haven't been able to bring my family over from abroad for visits once. Every time we meet, we have to travel outside of Norway.

norway is way too strict. i haven't been able to bring my foreign family here once for visits. we always have to leave norway to meet  benja (@akawrh) April 26, 2023

There are 27 countries without border controls. "As a result, if one country issues you a visa, they must be certain that you have concrete travel plans and won't enter another country illegally. It is what it is, and it is a shared responsibility," she wrote.

Meanwhile, responding to the story, VFS Global spokesperson said, “VFS Global manages only the non-judgmental and administrative tasks related to applications for visa, passport, and consular services for its client governments, enabling them to focus entirely on the critical assessment task.  The checklist of the documentation required for visa applications for each country is as per the requirements of the respective governments and the same is available on the VFS Global website."