Visa queue ordeal outside Polish consulate in Minsk
Several days ago, ERB's Aliaksei Murlanau tried to explore the visa ordeal outside the Polish consulate in Minsk. He lined up and received the spot No 3987 in the queue. Two days after, when he was supposed to confirm his spot, he learned that the queue remained where it was.
This is despite the fact that the consulate routinely issues up to 150 visas per day. Was he deceived? Here is his story.
“We are being deceived. I have remained No 143 for three days,” laments a man who came over to confirm his spot. “I demand to see the lists. If nobody pushed their people through, I would have entered the building tomorrow!”
The situation starts spinning out of control. Today, the queue is coordinated by a mature man who receives visitors through his Ford minivan’s side window. While he is scanning through his notebook, I find out that my queue has not moved forward over the past two days. I accept the inevitable in silence and try to figure out how to speed up the process.
I am joined by Alena, a young lady that needs a Polish visa for her business. (She imports fur coats to her home town of Lida). The queue coordinator says it is impossible. But if we agree to coordinate the queue for 24 hours, we can get an appointment with the consulate staff in one day.
The Polish diplomats in Minsk are aware of the queue but say they have nothing to do with what they describe as “a private initiative of the members of the public”.
Sitting in a car for 24 hours outside the consulate sounds like a harsh assignment. I immediately imagine that I will have to quarrel with people, explaining that I have not defrauded anyone or am responsible for whatever my predecessor did with the lists. Alena is doubtful, too.
We say that we need to think it over and will get back to the man in several minutes. Meanwhile, we proceed towards the queue. I ask one of the guys, standing nearby, whether it is possible to buy a close spot. He says that he has sold out all of his spots and advises to seek other sellers.
Within minutes, he forwards us to a woman who is getting off the posh BMW.
The woman, who introduced herself as Larysa, said that she managed to get a visa without a queue and that she could sell one of her three available spots. We reach a deal that it will cost me $50. The money should be paid in advance on condition that right in front of the entrance to the consulate, Larysa will announce that Alena is her sister.
We started calling travel agencies for help. Almost all of the agents we called would decline service, saying it has become very difficult to work with the Poles. Only one agency said they could make a Polish visa for me for Euro120 within two weeks.
Larysa’s option sounds cheaper. Alena agrees, while I say I'm ready to keep the queue records, because I don't have the money I'm ready to waste. I come back to the Ford minivan only to be faced with a new surprise. My civil employment position has already been occupied. All I have to do is to leave my phone number and agree my new appointment for the next day.
Meanwhile, the (lamenting) man has studied the contents of the notebook No 2 and is about to burst out in a fresh quarrel. The queue coordinator is pulling his notebook away, tearing off a piece of paper. This makes the rest of the crowd present to join the fight. I figure out that if the notebook is perished, the mob will beat the poor man right on his post spot. A consulate security man together with a policeman walk out of the building, make several steps forward and... go back inside. There is nothing to do.
The feeling is that the queue is a fake. The whole pattern is created in order to make you believe that you have to resort to "sellers" for help. Otherwise, you won't have a chance.
Having spent some three hours outside the consulate, I saw with my own eyes how the queue spots are sold. The prices vary. People make deals ranging from $50 to $200. Apparently, "sellers" are professional conmen backed by a team of assistants to help you part with your money so that you get a long-awaited access to the window to the West...
