Ties strong enough

Everything has become global today. Everything within reach. Everything possible. But crossing a country’s border is still not easy. And if the border happens to be between India and Pakistan, it should be best left untrodden. But then, there was one border that I wanted to cross.
“You don’t have ties strong enough,” I was told, “Your visa can’t be processed this time.” My dream to visit the US was shattered.
“Sorry, why? I do not understand. I just want to visit my brother. I have my job back here in India and most important, I have my parents to take care of,” I tried to explain, but the interviewer was unmoved. He handed out a tiny booklet and asked me to try again.
I was not sad because about Rs 6,000 was wasted in the process or even because I would not be able to visit my brother, but because the US thinks ‘I do not have ties strong enough’ with the country I am born in. An internet search threw up thousands of cases where the authorities found the candidates unfit even for a vacation in the US.
If the US keeps on denying visas at this rate, it would disappoint applicants, but in the process it will cause more damage to itself. More than ever before, people around the world are now considering visiting foreign locales. With such stringent rules, the US is missing out on a vast revenue source, and has also gone down significantly in terms of attracting tourists. Southeast Asian countries have already got the message, and have made the best of the situation by offering various tourism options.
Whatever the parameters on which they check a person’s eligibility to visit their country, they must be revamped. Categorising each candidate broadly doesn’t and cannot help anymore with the world changing at such a tremendous pace. Those who have crooked intentions will always find a way to dodge these checks.