Last year, Serbia had to change its visa rules under pressure from the European Union. This was because the Balkan nation was being used by many, including Indians, as an illegal transit route to Europe.
Belgrade’s visa-free regime for Indians — along with nationals from Turkey, Tunisia, Cuba and Burundi — was being exploited to get into the bordering Austria, Hungary and Romania, and ultimately to Italy and France. Reason: those travelling to EU countries from Serbia don’t require a visa.
In October 2022, Serbia withdrew visa-free arrivals from the above-mentioned countries.
Creating a ‘travel history’
The transit phenomenon came to light after European authorities recorded more than 1.3 lakh illegal immigrants in the first 10 months of 2022, many of whom were nationals of the countries allowed visa-free arrivals by Serbia.
In the case of Indians, to show a “considerable travel history” on their passports, the migrants (mostly men of 25-40 years of age, with a major chunk from Punjab) were asked by their agents to enter Serbia after visiting destinations such as Nepal, Dubai and Armenia, so that they came across as genuine travellers to the immigration authorities, people in the know of the matter said.
The recent case of a flight carrying 303 Indian nationals being grounded in France, ahead of its departure for Nicaragua, seems to bring to light a similar pattern — of creating a travel history to come across as tourists to immigration authorities of the receiving country, Nicaragua in this case, even as visa mandate for Indians in the central American country isn’t very clear.
Credit: Express design team
Harsh journey, many tragedies
In most such cases, on arrival in the transit country, agents connect the migrants with the so-called ‘donkers’, or people smugglers, who help them enter their final destination illegally. The donkers charge exorbitant payment for such services. Incidentally, to evade border authorities, many of these migrants are transported in the harshest and most inhuman conditions, not just without food and water, but even gasping for breath, after being asked to hide in cramped containers and delivery vehicles.
One such case had come to light in 2021 — of a young man from Punjab who wanted to go to Italy, and was suggested the transit route of Dubai-Serbia-Romania-Hungary, through which he would have entered Italy in about six months.
He was transported to the Hungarian border from Romania in a delivery truck, tucked in a small box. However, he returned to India ultimately, as he could never reach Italy and was forced to continue working on a farm in Hungary.
A 2009 report by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODOC) on Smuggling of Migrants from India to Europe highlights several cases of such migrants drowning in unsafe vessels, suffocating to death in overcrowded truck compartments and ships, or being victimised by smuggling gangs.
One of the biggest such tragedies was reported in 1996, when 283 migrants, most from Punjab, died when the overcrowded boat they were travelling on capsized in the Mediterranean, near Malta, on their way to Italy.
Those who reach their destination, too, find themselves locked in cycles of exploitation and abuse, which tend to go unreported because of the person’s fear of arrest and deportation.
Destination Europe
Out of the records of immigration-related offences examined at the Delhi airport in 2005, 2006 and 2007, almost 47 per cent of them were related to destination countries in Europe. Of this, about 27 per cent were related to the UK. Most cases of irregular migration to the UK were via France, after landing there with a direct visa, or reaching France through an irregular donkey route.
Other preferred destinations in Europe include Germany, Austria, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, Poland, and Czech Republic.
Bosnia, Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary are likely to be transit countries for onward travel, chosen on the basis of easier visa processes. Lately, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have also emerged as transit countries.
When going to the US
For those headed to the US, the first step in the most popular donkey route from India is to reach a Latin American country. Countries like Ecuador, Bolivia, and Guyana have visas on arrival for Indian citizens. Some other countries, including Brazil and Venezuela, give tourist visas to Indians easily. Nowadays, many first go to Europe, and from there, directly to Mexico.
Definite numbers not available
A sizable number of Indians are believed to be stranded in Spain, where they entered illegally, and are now seeking general amnesty.
Indian detainees have also been reported in Ukraine, Turkey, Slovakia, Malaysia, Romania and Poland, presumably headed to Western European countries. Many of these countries have approached the Indian government from time to time, to confirm their antecedents for the completion of the deportation process.
During the recent Winter Session, MoS External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, had stated in Parliament that many foreign countries do not provide information on illegal migrants in their countries, except when they have to be deported and travel documents/nationality verification are required. As such, Indian Missions and Posts do not have reliable data on the number of Indians staying or working illegally in foreign countries.
Apart from Punjab, irregular migration is also being reported in high numbers from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.
Passengers of a charter plane, grounded in France for four days, on their arrival in Mumbai on December 26. (PTI photo) 
Credit: Express design team
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