THE EDITOR: I welcome US Ambassador Candace Bond to our most beautiful country. Enjoy the exquisite delightful variety of food, georgous beaches and wonderful cosmoplitan population, so diverse in religion and culture and most of all the music.
We are the cream of the Caribbean. Trinis are the most wonderful people in the whole wide world. I am proud to be one. I have visited many parts of the world and there is no place like TT.
The US ambassador's assistance to help fight our crime-ridden country is certainly a wonderful effort, but there's one issue which I believe is necessary to bring to her attention.
US citizens can board an aircraft, come to our country and simply flash a US passport to our immigration officers at Piarco International Airport and just breeze through Immigration and Customs. The Europeans have disbanded the visa application many years ago and our people are allowed 90 days.
TT citizens now have to go through a long ritual: go online to sign in on the US DOS Visa System and fill out an arduous form very quickly, thereafter go to the bank to pay US$160 or TT$1,090 into a particular bank, then put this into a $50 TTPost tracking pack with passport and hope you are successful in getting that visa.
Sometimes folks are unsuccessful and lose their money also. Nothing is rebated. It is a crime against the humanity of Trinidadians and Tobagonians. It would be appreciated if the ambassador shows some interest in this matter.
For too many years our people have lined up in the sun and rain in front the US Embassy on Mali Street in Port of Spain, suffered at the hands of US immigration officers who told them, 'Sorry, you do not have enough ties in the US.'
Yes, since the covid19 pandemic there isn't much lining up any more, it's online, but it is the same licks and utter embarrassment for our people. Why should our people be denied from visiting any country in the world? Madam Ambassador, this is a crime.
I suggest that the ambassador works out a compromise with our Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs and our Prime Minister. Our people would like to flash our passports to immigration officers in the US. Show us get some dignity in 2023.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
CAROLINE WILLIAMS
via e-mail
The post We also want to flash our passports in US appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
