Visa-Free Youth Travel (for Nokia's Ideas Project)

_This was submitted for Nokia’s Ideas Project _

A lot of young people (from teens to mid 30s) worldwide are regular globetrotters, travelling internationally for purposes as diverse as self-enrichment holidays, study abroad, worldchanging conferences, and the pursuit of performance art. With greater and cheaper options for international travel (budget airlines, youth hostels, couchsurfing, etc), young people from most countries are able to explore the world without needing a huge investment.

However, for young people in developing regions – such as Asia, Africa, or Eastern Europe – their travel pursuits are often blocked by stringent and overly-strict visa regulations. Countries and regions such as the US, Australia, or the European Union require high levels of income, concrete plans for travel and return, and plenty of paperwork to prove legitimacy – more than many young people could reasonably prove or afford. Even countries such as Singapore are making it difficult for people from ‘high-risk’ areas to legitimately arrive in the country for relatively casual purposes.

These young people bring with them foreign income, new cultures and experiences, and plenty of shared resources. Their travel creates bridges of understanding and respect between countries and cultures, replacing the idea of The Other with the idea of a World Neighbour. Youth travel is a growing, strong means of developing international economy, culture, and diplomacy. Yet unfair and difficult visa regulations treat these young people as ‘illegal immigrants’, ‘aliens’, and basically unwanted gatecrashers. The truly desperate use dangerous and illegal means to go international; the rest get stuck where they are, limited by their lack of privilege and by societal assumptions.

There are groups of young people actively protesting visa regulations and proposing special visa considerations for young people (especially those travelling for conferences or youth events). One such initiative is GET VISAble , aimed at Eastern European youth frustrated by their inability to access most youth projects in Western Europe due to visa issues. But more needs to be done.

As a young person and traveller myself, holding a Bangladeshi passport and requiring a visa to just about anywhere, I would like to see the following happen for young travellers:

• Visa-free travel for young people, especially to popular regions like North American and Europe
• Acceptance of alternative, unconventional, and non-accredited educational/employment opportunities for visa purposes (such as the Scandinavian social enterprise school KaosPilots, which is held in high regard by the design & entrepreneurship world but can be a pain for visas because they’re not formally part of the Danish education system)
• Short-term residency permits (about 3-5 years) with the same privileges as permanent residents – access to public welfare and health, scholarships & grants, representation in politics
• Grants and funding to support young people travelling for various purposes
• A shift in tourism and immigration/migration from requiring absolutely stable and conventional lifestyles before migrating to encouraging young people to experiment and invest their time & energy in other countries
• Visas to be obsolete!

Instead of treating young people as potential terrorists and criminals – which is what the current visa system does through its mounds of bureaucracy – treat them as esteemed guests: the New Diplomats, agents of change and development.