Legal take: What we, and cricket, can learn from Rehan Ahmed visa saga
England begin the third of five Tests against India in Rajkot tomorrow. But after issues with the visa of Shoaib Bashir before the first Test in Hyderabad, England have again come up against issues with entering the county. This time, though, it’s leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed.
Dipesh Shah, Head of Corporate Immigration at JMW Solicitors breaks down what we know.
What has happened?
“England’s leg-spinner Ahmed faced a visa problem when he tried to re-enter India after the mid series break in Abu Dhabi. He had a single entry visa that he had obtained for the World Cup, where he was a reserve player for England but did not travel. He used this visa to enter India for the Test tour, but it was not valid for multiple entries. Then he was stopped at Rajkot Hirasar Airport and denied entry for having the wrong paperwork.
“The rest of the England team had multiple entry visas, as they had planned to fly in and out of India during the breaks in the test matches. This was probably an oversight by the ECB, who may have assumed that Ahmed had the same visa as the others and did not check his single entry visa.”
What happens with Ahmed now?
“Ahmed was given a two-day emergency entry to join the England team and was able to train on Tuesday. He is expected to get the right visa soon and play in the Third Test. His role as a leg-spinner is crucial, as Jack Leach is out with a knee injury.
“The Indian authorities issue electronic business visas, which may have caused Ahmed’s single entry visa to be detected only when his passport was scanned at Rajkot airport.
“This is not the first time that England players have had visa issues for India. Shoaib Bashir missed his chance to debut in the First Test because of visa delays, and Ollie Robinson got his visa only on the day England flew to Hyderabad for the first Test.”
Is this common?
“The Indian Government has a reputation for being strict with visa applications and has previously denied entry to visitors with Pakistani heritage. However, this was not the case for Ahmed, who was rejected due to a simple administrative mistake. He had only received a single entry visitor visa, which he had already used, but this was overlooked by the authorities.”
Lessons for England cricket?
“As the governing body they will need to ensure they have a robust system in place to ensure the visas that the players hold allow them to travel and play in the host country, prior to leaving the UK, particularly when they are travelling in and out of their host country in between matches”.
Dipesh Shah is Head of Corporate Immigration at JMW Solicitors in London