World Cup visa row frustrates Australians

Fans travelling to the World Cup from Australia have had a bad week. Hot on the heels of finding out that they will need to pay an additional US$100 for a special visa when they visit the Caribbean, it now appears that the hassle-free system to apply for the necessary documentation has proved anything but.

Ostensibly, the visa is to enable visitors to travel between various islands without going through the normal immigration controls, although a number of people have contacted Cricinfo asking why they have to pay the additional sum when they only planned to visit one island.

The authorities had trumpeted how visa centres had been established and how there would be a two or three week turnaround for applications.

However, Mia Amor Mottley, the deputy prime minister of Barbados, admitted yesterday that all was not well. "We have hit a snag with the issuing of the special visa in Australia but we are seeking to resolve the issue as soon as possible. I wish to assure our friends in Australia that this will be ironed out.

"We took the decision to establish a temporary physical consular presence in Australia to reduce the inconvenience to Australians and New Zealanders. We believe that this is a gesture of good faith on our part in spite of the expense which we are incurring. This is especially since Caribbean people are unable to obtain a visa to enter Australia without sending their passports to Canada."

Mottley's last remark will hardly be of any consolation given that there would seem to be a duty on any country hosting a major international tournament to make access as straightforward as possible.

The comments came after reports that the process for issuing visas in Australia was a shambles. "The visas could take up to three weeks, and you have to send your passport in," Australia's honorary consul general to Trinidad and Tobago, Michael Agostinhe, said. "But we don't know where they have to send it. The mission has arrived here and they've got offices but they haven't taken them up yet. They have staff but we don't know where they are."

It has been reported that Cricket Australia had received a formal complaint from the Australian Federal Government about the visa delays and was contemplating its next move. "It's an issue we might seriously need to raise with the ICC," Peter Young, general manager of public affairs for the board, stated.

The authorities denied accusations that the visa was a money-making venture, insisting that the revenue raised would barely meet the costs of the acquisition of the visa system. They also explained that the visa carried wide-ranging security features which would enable the region to minimise the security threats which it may face during the games.

Information on the issuing sites, visa application form and the Instruction Sheet are available on IMPACS website at: www.caricomimpacs.org.