European : For the majority of travellers originating from the United States, a trip to Europe tends to be a relatively hassle-free experience, typically exempt from the necessity of obtaining visas or incurring hefty expenses for short-term visits.
The visa application procedure can be quite costly, anxiety-inducing, and time-intensive. Each European visit necessitates an 80-euro fee and mandates an in-person appointment, along with the submission of various legal documents in hard copy format.
European Visa Issues Viral
These appointments, often outsourced to profit-driven entities, have been in short supply in recent months. Travelers have reported extended waiting times, with visa processing times occasionally stretching beyond the customary three-week period, in some cases spanning several months.
There have been instances where applicants failed to receive their visas in a timely manner, or they received visas with shorter durations than their intended travel, and in some unfortunate cases, visas were denied outright.
Individuals ensnared in these visa difficulties have had to alter their travel arrangements or, in some cases, abandon their plans to visit Europe altogether.
The bureaucratic hurdles have not only created planning headaches but have also shed light on an unsettling truth: these fees and inconveniences disproportionately affect a specific demographic—the billions of individuals worldwide who have faced systemic disparities in opportunities and access to travel, primarily those residing in the Global South.
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