Dear Ambassador Martin Lousteau,
I am an upset US permanent resident of Pakistani origin/citizenship. My husband (a US citizen) and I have a passion for motorcycling and traveling around the world. We have so far traveled to as many as 25 countries. This year…to mark my 30th birthday, we were looking forward to adding 5 more South American countries to our travel logs and had planned an epic motorcycle journey in South America and the highlight of that trip was going to be our ride through Patagonia all the way down to Ushuaia, Tiera del Fuego. We planned and saved up for this trip for a whole year and now our plan has gone for a toss thanks to the Consulate of Argentina in Chicago. As you probably know that the route from Santiago to Ushuaia goes back and forth between Chile and Argentina and I will be required to enter/re-enter both Chile and Argentina multiple times at the different border check posts. I tried to explain this to the consular that I will need a multiple-entry visa for Argentina in order to ride a motorcycle through this route, but they refused to listen to anything I had to say and kept insisting that they can only grant me a single entry visa and if I wanted to visit their country, I needed to change my itinerary. Mr. Ambassador, is my nationality so irrelevant that I am not welcome into your country? I want to see so much of Argentina but I am being told that I can not even visit the most amazing southern parts of your country! I made several visits to the office trying to ask them what I could do or what extra information I could provide in order for them to grant me a multiple entry visa but to no avail. I know that because of my nationality I usually have to go through very rigorous background checks and pay hefty fees in order to obtain visas for most countries around the world…but never have I been told that I am not allowed! The Argentina Consulate in Chicago has categorically told me this in many ways than one, and I am shattered to say the least! I have already been granted multiple-entry visas for most of the other countries in South America but my trip remains incomplete without going down on my motorcycle to the southernmost point in the world…a matter of pride for every motorcyclist! My bike sits in Chile waiting for us to get there and start our trip but I can’t help but feel hurt that, I, a Pakistani citizen, am not welcome to travel over land in your country! I bit the bullet and altered my plans and still decided to visit Argentina without the bike on a single entry visa. I was interviewed on June 7th 2016 by the deputy consulate general (second in command) at the Chicago embassy and was told that it will take 21 working days for them to make a decision and I heard nothing back from them even after the 21 days had passed. So today, I walked into their office on michigan avenue and was told after they stalled me for an hour that my visa had been rejected and that they can't/won't tell me why! I have valid visas for all the other countries on your continent...what does that say about you..how come I am not a threat to them? I have never seen or experienced racism of this nature in my entire life and nowhere else in the world have I been told in such a blatant manner that I am unwelcome! I am due to get my US passport in a few weeks and more than half of the world, including Argentina, will be visa free access for me...but I will not make another attempt to visit your country! Thanks for ruining the trip of my lifetime! This is now a matter of my national pride....I feel petty and disposable and that is not a forgivable offense! If you can do without my tourism...I can definitely do without ever visiting your country too! To be honest I am still in shock and disbelief as this was my very first racial encounter! I can't think of any reasons for rejection...the application was filled out properly as I was assured by the staff at the consulate...i had more than enough money to show in my bank account and i don't have any criminal records. The only thing that jumps out at me is my being Pakistani! I'm pretty sure even India..the country that we're practically at war with and have been for 65 years would happily grant me a visit visa! It’s a real shame that you are so prejudiced! I know that my boycott will not have any effect whatsoever and it is clear to me that I, a Pakistani citizen, am not good enough as a tourist for your country! Needless to say...Argentina will remain one of the countries that I will never again try to visit!
Regretfully,
H.Naveed
P.S. Here's a list of countries I have so far visited on a Pakistani Passport...Argentina won't make it on the list!
USA
Canada
Mexico
Thailand
Malaysia
China
Philippines
Sri Lanka
UAE
UK
Germany
France
Italy
Croatia
Switzerland
Austria
Hungary
Czech Republic
Norway
Greece
Belgium
Netherlands
Spain
Turkey
Morocco
