An American investor, Raymond Russell, recently faced backlash on social media after criticizing India’s e-visa website for technical issues. In a post on X, he described the visa portal as “comically, profoundly, embarrassingly broken” and shared multiple screenshots highlighting glitches while applying for a business visa to India.
Russell pointed out problems such as the outdated website design, random logouts without saving progress, and repeated failures in payment processing. He sarcastically noted that the system displayed unrelated information—like a list of the tallest peaks in Indian states—midway through the application form.
He also complained about a flawed design in which applicants are required to list all countries visited in the last ten years but can only input 20 entries. Additionally, he faced issues with payment gateways like SBI e-pay, which did not work for non-Indian applicants.
While the post received over 1.6 million views, many Indian users criticized Russell for publicly mocking rather than constructively addressing the issues. Some pointed out the lengthy and difficult process Indians face when applying for visas to the US, highlighting long waiting periods, document overload, and strict scrutiny.
Others defended the Indian portal, saying their own experiences were smooth compared to difficulties faced when dealing with the US visa system or passport services. A few users agreed with Russell and called on the Indian government and Ministry of External Affairs to modernize the portal to improve the experience for foreign visitors and investors.
Several netizens emphasized that improving fundamental services like the e-visa system is essential as it forms the first impression for international travelers and potential investors.
