The recent decision of the UK Government to issue six-month visas to nationals from a band of six nations, including India, against payment of £3,000 as bond fee stirred a hornet’s nest.

This was followed by the news that the refundable bond would be implemented on a pilot basis and not all may have to shell out this staggering sum to get a visa.

The model awaits implementation even as there are reports of divisions in the UK cabinet on this issue.

While people have acknowledged the UK’s right to frame its own immigration policies, they wonder how a bond fee will help.

The talk about discrimination reminds me of an unpleasant experience I had in London seven years ago, sweetened only by the thoughtful intervention of my fellow traveller.

Got the DATV?

A client engineer of Omani nationality and I travelled on an official visit to Sweden from Muscat with a change of flight at London Heathrow. We obtained Schengen visas for travel to Europe when a friend alerted me in the nick of time about the need to obtain another visa from the UK embassy.

“I just change flights at Heathrow. Why do I need a UK visa?” I asked naively. “You are from an elite band of six nations, my friend, and you certainly need a Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV), which is in force now, for movement inside Heathrow airport,” he stressed sarcastically.

I managed to get this DATV while for my fellow Omani engineer, it was not required then.

When we boarded the flight at Muscat, the airlines informed us that our luggage would not go through to Sweden but that we had to collect it at Heathrow and then board the SAS flight to Sweden. As there was three hours’ transit time, we did not anticipate any problem.

Stranded, a la Tom Hanks

Landing at Heathrow, we followed serpentine queues at the immigration section to collect our luggage. As the officials were interviewing every tourist, time ticked by. When my turn came, the officer told me that I could not go out as DATV did not allow passengers to check out. “But, Sir, I just have to collect my luggage and fly to Sweden,” I pleaded. “Sorry. I can’t help. You can check with the airlines.”

It was the Omani engineer’s turn now who had no UK visa. Fortunately, since he did not belong to the group of six, he was permitted out.

I ran from officer to officer and immigration to airways but none could help. I realised I was almost in the situation of Victor Navorski, the character played by Tom Hanks in Spielberg’s The Terminal — trapped in a terminal, unable to collect luggage and proceed further.

Saved by the human touch

My Omani friend called me over phone from the baggage section and said, “Don’t bother. We have hardly an hour left. Rush to the next terminal. I shall try to collect your luggage.”

He virtually juggled two trolleys, four heavy pieces of baggage, took the airport bus and moved to another terminal. On spotting my luggage, I heaved a big sigh while he was panting from the physical ordeal. What an extraordinary gesture that was — and to top it, all the help was rendered by him without a murmur!

So, the next time you travel to the UK, don’t sulk. It doesn’t matter if the system discriminates as long as people go out of the way to make things better for us.

(The writer works as AGM- Powertech Engineering LLC, Muscat. Views are personal )

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