The British visa application rules for the citizens of Tajikistan have been changed. The information agency REGNUM reports that from 22nd of August the Tajik citizens who live inside the country will apply for British visas in Almaty and Moscow. Previously Tajik applicants had to go to Tashkent (Uzbekistan) which was more problematic because in order to obtain the British visa first they had to obtain the Uzbek one. Sometimes it was more difficult to obtain the Uzbek visa than the British one. Taking into consideration the transport expenses from Dushanbe to Almaty or Moscow the Tajik citizens will need to spend more money to obtain the visa. It means that the solution of one problem created another one, though the transportation expenses from Dushanbe to Tashkent are also not cheap.

The British ambassador to Tajikistan said that ideally it would be better if the Tajik citizens obtained visas in the embassy in Tajikistan, but unfortunately the demand for British visas is low in the country so it is inexpedient to issue them. Also, he said that the opportunity to obtain visas in Almaty and Moscow will ease the burden of future Tajik visitors to Britain.

It is one of the strangest things to me. I do not understand why Tajik citizens can not obtain visas of some foreign countries in their own country. The main reason as the British ambassador says is the low demand. All other, European and American ambassadors to Tajikistan give the same reason, for example the US visas are also obtained in Almaty. It is like in economics, no demand no supply. However, I think there is something more than that. The low demand is not the main reason. I will not guess but I would appreciate if someone knows the main reason and comment on it.

US has one of the biggest embassies in Tajikistan but they don’t give visas for the Tajik citizens. In Kyrgyzstan the embassy is smaller and the population of the country is less than in Tajikistan but the Kyrgyz citizens have the right to obtain visas in that embassy. I don’t think that there is a big difference in demand for visas between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
For Tajik citizens it would be easier to get to Bishkek than to Almaty and it is much cheaper to live in Bishkek than in Almaty in case if the visa or the flight is delayed, but Tajiks can not apply to US embassy in Bishkek.

It is really detrimental to get visas in Almaty and Moscow for Tajik citizens. When I was obtaining the US visa I had less problems than usually Tajik citizens have because at that time I was already living in Bishkek and Almaty is not far, three hours to drive. However, I met three Tajik guys in the US embassy who came from Tajikistan and they were rejected. They were upset and counting their losses.

First of all tickets from Dushanbe to Almaty were expansive, almost 200 USD one way. They had to stay in Almaty for two more days because the flights are only three times a week. They were lucky with the flights and had no flight delays but it happens often. The US visa itself is expensive, something like 100 USD, which is not reimbursed in case you are rejected.
They were waiting for almost one hour in the room and within 2 or 3 minutes they were rejected. To the above mentioned expenses they added food and accommodation expenses and it came out that each one of them lost something like 600 dollars. This amount of money would be enough for a family consisting of five members to live a relatively good life three to four months in Tajikistan.

The British visa application rules are changed but it is still difficult to obtain them in terms of finance and time. I don’t know all these international rules but I’m truly convinced that people should apply for visas in the nearest embassy or I would say in the embassy where it is more convenient to go to.

What do you think?