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Ask India to End Discrimination Against US Citizens/Businesses
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    1. The President of the United States (+ 37 others)
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      • The President of the United States
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      • Secretary of State United States of America (Hillary Rodham Clinton)
      • White House Liason US Department of State (Steven Diminuco)
      • Officer India Desk US Department of State (Uzma Bashir)
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      • Ms Zanelotti
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      • President United States of America (Barack Obama)
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  2. Created By
    US Citizens
    Naperville, IL
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

Dear Supporter

 Imagine if you go apply for a visa at some embassy for tourism or Business and you are told that all US citizens can apply on US passport for a visa, except US citizens of your Origin ,Jewish/African/Asian or any else.They should apply on the passport of country of their ORIGIN. Would you not feel the overwhelming discrimination that embassy is advocating? I am sure you will. Discrimination is something that affects us even when we are not the target. Discrimination in any form should not be accepted especially when it attempts to divide a nation based on its citizen's origin.

India is a democratic country but it is openly discriminating against our Citizens and Businesses on basis of their Origin when they apply for a India visa.  India sets visa rules differently for our citizens based on their origin which affectively strips some of our citizens of their right to travel as a US citizen, on their US Passport just because of their origin. 

Please help by signing this petition and asking President Obama and Secretary Clinton along with our Senators to raise this issue strongly with Government of India and ask them to treat our citizens uniformly when it comes to Visa applications, not differentiating or discriminating among them just because of their Origin.

 

Thank you

Why People Are Signing
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Ask India To End Discrimination against US Citizens/Businesses on basis of their Origin For Visas

Greetings,

I just signed the following petition addressed to: President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US Senate , House of Representatives, Secretary of Commerce, US Trade

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Ask India To End Discrimination against US Citizens/Businesses on Basis of their Origin for Visas

We would like to bring to your attention a matter that we believe the Department of State needs to take a firm stand on.
India has extended its restrictive visa policy towards Pakistanis to American citizens of Pakistani descent, in violation of the reciprocal visa agreements between India and the United States. Since 2009 India has barred ONLY American citizens/ Businesses/Workers of Pakistani descent from applying for Indian visas ( Tourist, Business or any other) on their US passports, unless they produce a certificate of renunciation of citizenship from Pakistan (which in effect means losing their dual nationality if they have it).
This effectively means that Americans wanting to travel to India, whether business people, academics, or tourists, may do so on their US passports, as long as they are NOT of Pakistani origin.
If US nationals of Pakistan origin, cannot use their U.S. passports while traveling to India, they lose their privileges as U.S. citizens, including U.S. consular access, Trade treaties with India, Business Oppurtunities, when traveling in India. US Companies who have many workers that are US citizens of pakistan origin cant send their workers for business ventures to India. In addition, they are put in the uneasy position of having to renounce their country of birth and dual citizenship, which is allowed under U.S law. This is NOT asked of any other US citizens who also holds dual Nationality with another country but those of Pakistan origin.
Additionally, according to Visa reciprocity agreement, U.S.A. grants 10-year multiple entry visas to all Indian nationals who are approved for U.S. visas but India does not reciprocate when it comes to American citizens of Pakistani origin. If they grant visas to US citizens of Pakistan origin, very often those visas are limited to six-months even if the applicant has requested and paid for a ten-year visa.
America’s bilateral visa reciprocity agreements with India do not seclude US nationals of Pakistan, or any other, origin; they apply equally to all American citizens. Just like US does not discriminate against any Indian national of any origin and applies a Uniform visa policy for all Indian nationals.
We understand that granting visas is the discretion of any country, and India has every right to grant or deny a Visa but in this case, a country with which the USA has reciprocal visa agreements is openly refusing to honor those agreements by not even accepting US passports as valid travel document for visa application when it comes to US citizens of Pakistani descent and by applying different application processes for them drived from their origin.
Regardless of where we come from or where we were born, once naturalized, we are US nationals, protected by the US Constitution. It is incumbent on the Department of State to stand up for us.
The European Court of Human Rights declared in Timishev, Russia (2005): "Racial discrimination is a particularly invidious kind of discrimination and … requires from the authorities special vigilance and a vigorous reaction." If today we allow India to racially discriminate and separate our citizens based on their origin, tomorrow any nation with a grudge towards any origin can start stripping their rights to travel as U.S. citizens.
Law abiding citizens who work hard and pay taxes do not deserve this silence from the American government. We have not seen any denunciation from the U.S Department of State about this discrimination, or any efforts to secure equal and fair treatment for American nationals of Pakistan origin when it comes to India. The message this sends us is that our government does not support us or consider us worthy of fighting for at the highest diplomatic levels. We wonder if the Department of State would remain silent if U.S. nationals of, say, British or Irish origin, were included in this profiling by any embassy?
We urge you to send a strong message to any country that tries to divide our nation based on our origin – tell them that we are all Americans, and any such attempt will come with risk of losing visa reciprocity agreements.
We will look forward for your help in this matter

Thank you for your assistance


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Sincerely,

[Your name]

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