Dogs mark their territory by piddling. The scent of its bodily discharge is supposed to communicate to other dogs a message like this: “Be careful, it’s my area, no trespassing!” Tigers and wolves are also known to have the same practice. Fortunately, we humans have different methods. We mark our territories with pillars, by erecting fences, putting up signboards, and so on.
The fundamental territory is the individual house. We demarcate the area of our house with boundary walls or fences. The purpose is to stop the entry of undesirable elements like burglars or other intruders who intend to harm us. Our houses have gates through which we let people in according to our choice. The same concept transcends into country borders. A country has ports of entry through which it lets visitors in or stops them from entering.
Today we need passports and visas for cross-border movements. This system has evolved over the centuries. In ancient Egypt, permission documents were required to leave a port. According to the British Home Office, the earliest known passport, called Safe Conducts, was issued in 1414 during the reign of King Henry V. Passports are issued to a country’s citizens granting permission to travel abroad, and visas are issued to foreign citizens allowing them to visit the issuing country.
Passports and visas are meant to control or restrict the movement of people across national boundaries. The restrictions are not equitable though. Passports issued by rich countries get privileges and preferential treatment. For example, according to the Henley Passport Index, citizens of countries like France, Germany, or Japan can travel to 194 countries without a visa. But for the citizens of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan this exemption is allowed by only 62, 42, and 34 countries respectively.
Rich people, irrespective of their country of origin, are usually welcome in other countries and provided with a visa. They even have the option to acquire residency or citizenship in many countries by making investments. For example, according to the Global Residence Index, residency in Portugal, Spain, and Greece can be obtained by investments in different categories ranging from €200,000 to €2,000,000. Similarly, permanent residence in the USA can be obtained by investing $800,000 to $1,050,000. Direct citizenship can also be obtained in countries like Turkey or Malta by making investments in required amounts.
[… … …]
This article was published in the Daily Sun (with a revised title and some changes in the first two paragraphs) on March 27, 2024. Please read the full article here or here.