Guilty until proven innocent

I have lived in Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. My current country of residence is New Zealand. I have visited, traveled through and transited through about 30 different countries in Africa, Europe and Asia. And for the first time ever, I have been refused a visa!

I think it was Tom Gara who commented on one of the posts on the nomadlife home page that Nigerians must have it the worst when it comes to passport and visa issues. Boy, dont I know it! Although having never been refused a visa up till now, I have had to endure lengthy question and answer sessions at immigration checkpoints around the world. Even with a valid visa.

One that jumps straight to mind was on my way back to Sweden from India in the summer of 2005. I was traveling with three Swedes and we were flying on Austrian Air. My three traveling companions breezed through immigration in Vienna, going through the "EU citizens" gate. I went to "other" gate, got stamped through but then was stopped by another official. He flipped through my passport at least 50 times over and over again without saying a word. I asked him if there was a problem and he said 'No'. And then he flipped through another fifty times. He must have been trying to figure out how a Nigerian passport held a Swedish work and residence permit! He eventually handed me my passport and asked me to have a nice day. Although the expression on his face wished me anything but!

But which embassy has seen fit to deny me a request for a visa? Ladies and Gentlemen, please give it up to the country that has broken this nomad's record... AUSTRALIA!!! Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie!!! And it wasnt even an entry visa... I was denied a TRANSIT VISA!

According to the refusal letter... "My bonafides didnt match up". Whatever the hell that means. I guessed it meant that I couldnt prove that I had gainful employment in NZ to return to and might decide to slip into Australia and claim assylum. The interesting thing is that the letter acknowledged that, "... you have been granted a single entry transit visa by our London office... and you have numerous European visas...". It probably looked like I had been keeping one step ahead of the law in all those countries and was planning to get lost finally in Melbourne or Sydney after my first attempt to do so was unsuccessful.

I eventually had to re-send the application with a copy of my contract with Fonterra and lo and behold... my manager actually got a call from them asking if I really worked there and how long I had been working/would be working! It seems they assume the worst and you then need to disprove the assumptions.

I am still expecting my passport back now. I guess there is still a chance they might think I gave a set of fake numbers and hired people to answer the phone. All in a bid to fight my way across the immigration checkpoint in Melbourne, having wasted money buying a round-trip ticket to Nigeria from Auckland!

Caro from Switzerland is on a round-the-world trip right now. New York, Indonesia and Colombia have welcomed her so far. I daydreamed for a fraction of a second of doing the same some day but quickly abandoned that train of thought when I reminded myself of the potential visa stress! I mean, to go to Thailand from Auckland, I have to travel to the Thai embassy in London IN PERSON to apply for the visa! I could go on and on...

Dont I just love being a Nigerian?