Visas have always been a huge drama in our lives! Every time we wanted to travel anywhere, due to our Chinese and Indian passports, we had to apply for various visas and whatnot. It usually took us a whole month, sometimes 2 months of work! As a Chinese passport holder, I required an Indian visa to visit India, and subsequently, an American visa to return to the United States. For Raj, an Indian passport holder, he needed a Chinese visa to enter China and an American visa to return.
Then the kids came, holding American passports, we acquired Chinese Travel Documents (citizenship for Chinese kids born overseas if the mother was on a visa but not a green card while giving birth) and Indian OCIs (Overseas Citizen of India = green card) for them, because they were considered Chinese and Indian citizens until they turned 18 years old. Then they have to make a choice about whether to retain their citizenship or not. Chinese Travel Documents are valid for 2 years each time, while Indian OCIs are valid for a lifetime.
Things finally got a little easier after I successfully acquired Indian OCI, after 7 years of trying. It took me two applications. For the first application, they made me wait for 3 years, then told me I submitted to the wrong category. What fucking bullshit. Redtape Assholes. Because the relationship between our countries is bad, they don't give away OCI for Chinese people that easily. We didn't give up; we applied again. Each application costed $ 400-$ 500, by the way. Then, after three more years of waiting, they granted me OCI, because, hello, I'm legally married to an Indian citizen, okay?! Indian government stopped giving Chinese citizens regular tourist visas since last year or so, China-India relation has always been so shitty and it affected all of our lives.
Now this time, (background music starting), I'm traveling as an American passport holder, and Raj too! Fuck yay! Due to a change in citizenship, I had to reapply for Indian OCI. It took us two months, but my OCI finally arrived yesterday. It lasts a lifetime, I will never need to apply for Indian visas anymore! Only Raj will go to India with a tourist visa this time, because he didn't get an American passport in time to apply for OCI himself, but I and the kids are OCI holders!
Raj and I also applied for a Chinese tourist visa with our American passports. Damn, this morning Raj picked up our passports from the SF consulate and we got freaking 10-year visas! Both of us! Never experienced such privilege before, most probably the first time ever! 10-year visa to China??? Wow.... My kids, who are Chinese Travel Document holders, have to renew their documents every two years!
And London, we are coming! Without any freaking visas!!! Fuck yay! Gods know how much money and time we spent during the last 18 years applying for Schengen visas, EU student permits, UK visas, and all that shit! Each year, the mental load it gave me! Ciao, tata, farewell, zaijianbusong!
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