MICHELLE Nehoya, a Namibian resident, has faced nearly two years of delays and has spent nearly $500 on her visa application to visit Canada. Despite her efforts, including multiple forms, bank statements, an invitation letter, and a detailed travel history, the visa has yet to be granted. Nehoya, who lives in Windhoek, is eager to reunite with her family in Quebec, whom she hasn’t seen in almost a decade.
Adding to the challenge, there is no facility to apply for a Canadian visa in Namibia, forcing Nehoya to travel to South Africa to submit her biometric data. Her experience is not uncommon for Africans applying for visas to Western countries, where the process is often lengthy and expensive.
In response to such challenges faced by its citizens, Namibia has announced a new visa policy. Starting next April, nationals from Canada, Germany, the US, the UK, and 29 other countries will require a visa to enter Namibia. This measure targets countries that require Namibian citizens to obtain visas, aiming to ensure parity and fairness in diplomatic relations.
The Namibian immigration ministry stated, ‘Namibia has extended gestures of goodwill and favorable treatment to nationals of various countries. However, despite these efforts, certain nations have not reciprocated.’ The new visa requirement seeks to balance the scales in diplomatic interactions.
Visitors from these countries will be able to obtain a 90-day visa on arrival in Namibia for $90, which contrasts with the rigorous process Namibians must endure for Western visas. The British High Commissioner to Namibia, Charles Moore, acknowledged Namibia’s right to impose new regulations, noting the UK imposed a visa regime on Namibia due to a significant increase in asylum seekers.
Nehoya supports Namibia’s new visa policy, seeing it as a step toward fairness. ‘I think it is fair. It feels like Namibia is standing up for itself,’ she told the BBC, which reports that reactions on social media echo her sentiments, with many users advocating for similar stringent requirements for Western visitors.
The European Union reportedly earned over €53 million ($58 million) from rejected visa applications from African countries in 2023, according to a report by the Lago Collective. Visa rejections for Africans often stem from doubts about the applicants’ intentions to return home.
Despite the positive reception on social media, Namibia’s tourism industry has expressed concern. The Hospitality Association of Namibia warned that the new policy might send a negative message to the global travel trade. Tourism is a significant part of Namibia’s economy, contributing 7 percent to the GDP in 2022, with most tourists coming from Germany and the US.
Tourism expert Soni Nrupesh believes the new policy will not deter visitors, as travellers can still board a plane without a visa and obtain it upon arrival. For Namibians like Nehoya, the hope is that reciprocal visa policies will soon be a global standard.
‘People come to Namibia, and they love it. But we also want to see what is happening on the other side,’ she told the BBC. ‘It would be nice to go to Canada, the US, or the UK and just get a visa on arrival. But right now, we must plan everything so far in advance.’
