'Not Even A Fraction Of What Indians Face': US Investor Sparks Outrage After Mocking India's E-Visa Portal

An American investor has sparked outrage on social media for mocking India's e-visa website over technical glitches. Raymond Russell drew sharp criticism after he took a jibe at India’s online visa application platform, calling the official website "comically, profoundly, embarrassingly broken".

In a post on X on Thursday, Russell highlighted several technical issues he faced while using India's e-visa portal to complete his visa application. He shared the screenshots of the issues encountered while applying for a business visa.

Russell pointed out that the website looks like it was made in 2003 and it randomly logs out the session without saving the application details.

"Anybody who applies for an e-visa to India knows the website is always comically, profoundly, embarrassingly broken. It looks like it was written in 2003, kicks you out randomly without saving your work, won't charge your credit card until your nineteenth attempt," he wrote on X.

He also outlined several common errors, including a random appearance of a list of the tallest peaks in each Indian state on screen, while applying for an e-visa using the official portal.  

"But this is a new one—halfway through the business visa application, it displays a list of the tallest peaks in each Indian state?? Come on, folks, I'm just trying to invest in your country!" he added.

He also shared a screenshot of facing a problem with the payment options like SBI e-pay, which don’t work for foreign applicants. 

The American investor also outlined a design flaw, mentioning that applicants must list out all the countries they have visited in the last 10 years, but the portal allows them to add 20 countries.

“You must tell us all countries you've visited in the last 10 years, or we may refuse you entry. But you can only tell us max 20 countries,” he added, sharing a screenshot.

His post has garnered more than 1.6 million views so far on X. However, Russell has attracted sharp reactions from Indian users for criticising India instead of highlighting the technical issues.    

Many Indian users also highlighted flaws in the United States’ visa application process in the comments section.

Vishnu Som, Senior Managing Editor, NDTV, responding to Russell, outlined the extended wait for Indians to even get an appointment for a visa at the US Embassy in Delhi.

"I totally get your point, Raymond and therefore, this isn't an outrage tweet. But just, for a moment, imagine the reverse side of the story - It takes 6.5 odd months for an Indian national to get an appointment for a visa at, say, the US Embassy in Delhi. Families wait anxiously for months, line up, collect a ton of financial documentation, letters, permissions, bookings. They face INTENSE scrutiny at the counter - their dreams of travelling are often summarily dismissed and then, if cleared, even more scrutiny awaits them at the immigration counter upon arrival at their destination," Som commented.  

Netizens also pointed out how Indians applying for a US visa face several hurdles, including the requirement for an extended list of documents. Applying for a US visa requires applicants to upload several documents like salary slips, income tax returns, property ownership documents, bank statements and DS-160 confirmation, among others, many users highlighted.  

"Nah, this should not be fixed. It'll give people from other countries a taste of how frustrating it is to apply for a visa for Indians to visit their countries. This is not even a fraction of what Indians go through while applying for US/UK/Schengen visas," a user commented.

"You might not know this, but the USA business visa application system is even more antiquated," wrote a user.

However, many foreign users also shared their pleasant experience with India's e-visa portal, while highlighting hassles faced with the US e-visa process.  

"My experience in applying for e-VISA in India has been much more pleasant than applying for my passport renewal in the US.Ever tried dealing with the sassy workers at the USPS?" read a comment.

A few users also agreed with Russell and urged the government to fix the problems with India’s e-visa portal.

"Fundamental services such as this that give the first glimpse of India to foreign investors need to be radically improved," said a user.

Many users requested the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to upgrade the portal with the latest technology and e-payment tools.