Canada Summer 2013
I retired from the University of British Columbia in 2003, and have been living in India ever since. My last trip to Canada was in 2006, so I was overdue for a visit to see my ageing Mom (she's 94 now) and my Godmother, and to see friends that I had been out of touch with for too long.
Because I have been in India so long (on an Entry Visa with annual extensions through the local Foreigners Registration Office), the bureaucracy did a pretty thorough investigation on my reasons for staying here so long, and I had to reschedule my flight to Canada a couple of times until I finally got the necessary clearance to leave and return. As it turned out, it's just as well it took so long, because I had mistakenly been asking for an Exit Visa. What I eventually got was a Return Visa, valid for three months stay outside India, which didn't automatically cancel my Entry Visa, which an Exit Visa would have done.
When I was in Vancouver, I went to the Indian High Commission to ask about getting a fresh Entry Visa, and found that the eligibility requirements have been changed since I was last issued one in 2006, and I wouldn't qualify to apply under the new rules. I would only have been eligible for a six-month Tourist Visa, which would have meant a serious disruption of my long-term goal of spending the rest of my life in India. As it is, I will be eligible to apply for Indian citizenship in September this year, at which point I will have been here long enough to satisfy the residency requirements.
I had a great three weeks in Vancouver in August (the best time of year in that beautiful city), staying with a friend in the heart of the West End, and getting my fill of concerts, film festivals, cycling, visiting, and some beach time. Although it's still my favourite city in Canada, it isn't home any more, and I have no regrets about leaving there a decade ago to follow my heart to my adopted home in India.
Then I flew to Toronto, and rented a car for a week, which was the only practical way to get all my visiting done. First stop was Grimsby, where my Mom is living in a very nice retirement home. My brother and sister-in-law live nearby, so they phone and visit her frequently. I spent three days there, and we said our goodbyes knowing that it might be for the last time. Then I headed up to Kemptville to see my Godmother, and stayed with her son and his family just a couple of blocks from her retirement home. Last stop was Kingston to visit with a friend for a couple of days, then back to Toronto to drop off my rental car and head for the airport for my flight home to India.
Because I have been in India so long (on an Entry Visa with annual extensions through the local Foreigners Registration Office), the bureaucracy did a pretty thorough investigation on my reasons for staying here so long, and I had to reschedule my flight to Canada a couple of times until I finally got the necessary clearance to leave and return. As it turned out, it's just as well it took so long, because I had mistakenly been asking for an Exit Visa. What I eventually got was a Return Visa, valid for three months stay outside India, which didn't automatically cancel my Entry Visa, which an Exit Visa would have done.
When I was in Vancouver, I went to the Indian High Commission to ask about getting a fresh Entry Visa, and found that the eligibility requirements have been changed since I was last issued one in 2006, and I wouldn't qualify to apply under the new rules. I would only have been eligible for a six-month Tourist Visa, which would have meant a serious disruption of my long-term goal of spending the rest of my life in India. As it is, I will be eligible to apply for Indian citizenship in September this year, at which point I will have been here long enough to satisfy the residency requirements.
I had a great three weeks in Vancouver in August (the best time of year in that beautiful city), staying with a friend in the heart of the West End, and getting my fill of concerts, film festivals, cycling, visiting, and some beach time. Although it's still my favourite city in Canada, it isn't home any more, and I have no regrets about leaving there a decade ago to follow my heart to my adopted home in India.
Then I flew to Toronto, and rented a car for a week, which was the only practical way to get all my visiting done. First stop was Grimsby, where my Mom is living in a very nice retirement home. My brother and sister-in-law live nearby, so they phone and visit her frequently. I spent three days there, and we said our goodbyes knowing that it might be for the last time. Then I headed up to Kemptville to see my Godmother, and stayed with her son and his family just a couple of blocks from her retirement home. Last stop was Kingston to visit with a friend for a couple of days, then back to Toronto to drop off my rental car and head for the airport for my flight home to India.
posted by IndiaJP at 2:07 AM
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