Mumbai: Although there are many US nationals logging on to the US Department of State (Consular Affairs) services wanting to register themselves under its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) so that they can return back to the US, many especially those stuck in India have decided to stay put given the relative comfort zone they find themselves in having seen the way India has handled the COVID-19 outbreak. Many US nationals are preferring to wait till the lockdown is lifted and have quarantined themselves.
Going by the messages exchanged on US Department of State (Consular) website, @travelgov indicates that the US administration has flagged the US bound trip dates as “indefinite”. The frustration and anger directed at the administration is not so much from American nationals stuck in India, but those who are stuck in countries like Germany and Philippines.
“Jeannie McClung I am in Germany and I registered and have also heard nothing”.
“U.S. Department of State: Consular Affairs Jeannie McClung Hello, please be sure your trip dates are listed as “indefinite”. If you are still not receiving messages please click the contact us link in step.state.gov for assistance”.
“Harry Tandi I’m been waiting for my turn from April 11 I haven’t receive any mail. I fill the form two times still waiting I’m stuck in India and I’m US citizen”.
“U.S. Department of State: Consular Affairs Harry Tandi Hello, we understand that waiting can be frustrating. There is high demand for the flights departing India. Please know that the staff at U.S. Mission India are working diligently to help get U.S. citizens home”.
Speaking to TheNews21.com on Tuesday, a spokesperson of the US Consulate General, Mumbai while speaking on conditions of anonymity disclosed that as of April 27, about 4,900 American citizens have been repatriated.
“There is no higher priority for the U.S. Mission in India, including the Embassy in New Delhi and the Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata, than the safety and welfare of American citizens. We continue to coordinate closely with the Indian authorities as we help repatriate those U.S. citizens who’ve expressed an interest in returning to the United States”, the spokesperson added.
When asked about the process of evacuating US nationals stranded in countries like India, post the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Consulate Mumbai spokesperson stated “U.S. law requires that departure assistance to private U.S. citizens be provided “on a reimbursable basis to the maximum extent practicable… [not to exceed] the amount the person evacuated would have been charged for a reasonable commercial air fare immediately prior to the events giving rise to the evacuation.”
He further added “this means that all evacuees who take U.S. government-coordinated transport must repay the cost of their transportation to the U.S. government. Evacuees sign a promissory note to repay the U.S. Government and they are billed for the cost of their evacuation after-the-fact. The U.S.-India partnership remains strong as we address the challenge of COVID-19 together”.
As per the official statement of the US Embassy in New Delhi of April 26, all the US nationals who want to return back to the US have to fill the STEP form. Besides that all those wanting to return back to the US have to fill up the “Evacuee Manifest and Promissory Note (DS-5528)”.
Another significant condition is that the administration has made it clear that these trips are not free and are chargeable, not to be paid at the time of the travel, but once they land in USA. The charges per adult person range between $2,000 and $2,500 only. Moreover, until April 27, only two flights were operated from India – Mumbai-San Francisco and Mumbai-Atlanta. Any further travel to their respective states will have to be borne by the US nationals themselves.
