Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: IE
Context: The practice of ‘visa shopping’ has been gaining popularity in several Indian states.
- “Visa shopping” is a practice where individuals obtain visas for countries, they may not visit during the visa’s validity period.
Reasons for Visa Shopping:
- The objective is to use these visas as a means to enter their preferred countries, particularly in Europe, even if they already have a visa for another European nation.
- People also buy visas for countries they don’t intend to visit immediately to increase their chances of getting visas for their preferred destinations in the future. This practice is prevalent in India, particularly in Punjab, and it has raised legal implications.
Example:
- One of the examples of visa shopping is the “Schengen Visa,” which allows travellers to explore multiple European countries without requiring separate visas.
- Under the Schengen system, an agreement among European countries, travellers can move freely within the Schengen Area without border controls. This allows entry into 27 countries, including 23 EU members and some others.
Legal issues can arise if a traveller obtains a visa for one country but stays in another or uses it as an entry point rather than their actual destination.
