Ontario couple en route to India forced to turn back due to document issue
Ontario couple en route to India forced to turn back due to document issue
An Ontario couple had been saving for three years to go to India for two months to attend a wedding, a family reunion and spend time with family and friends.
But the trip came to an abrupt end when they were about to board their connecting flight in Paris, because even though they had the right visa documents, they were copies and not the originals, which was not allowed.
“I was so excited I was looking forward to it I couldn't wait to get there. To be turned back it was such bad news and we were exhausted,” said Pamela Nazareth of Scarborough.
Nazareth and her husband Ed are both in their 80s and were travelling to Mumbai through Paris on Feb. 19 and while they knew they needed their visa documents, they took copies, not the originals.
Ed said they couldn’t find their original Person of India Visa documents but they had notarized copies which they felt would suffice.
“We couldn't find the originals, but we found the duplicates so we took the duplicates that were notarized," Ed told CTV News Toronto.
Their son Andrew also felt the documents would be accepted for their trip.
“What they had taken was a notarized copy. It was a copy of this document notarized by the government of India," Andrew explained.
When they arrived at Pearson airport in Toronto, they were allowed to board an Air France flight to Paris, but when they tired to board their connecting flight to Mumbai, they were told they needed the original visa documents not copies and were denied boarding.
They were told to fly back to Toronto. The two tickets they had purchased for the trip had cost them $4,900.
"They told us the tickets have been cancelled you have to go back," Ed said.
When CTV News Toronto contacted Air France the airline said, "Passengers are responsible to ensure they have the right documents for their journey.”
The Consulate of India also told CTV News Toronto, "Any traveler to India will be allowed entry if he/she carries valid travel document i.e. Passport along with a valid Visa or PIO/OCI card in original.”
Air France said it could not comment on individual files but the airline did apologize to the Nazareths.
“I am sorry to learn that you were unable to travel to travel to India as planned on the 19th February. Our data shows that because you were not in the possession of the correct documentation for your whole journey you were stopped by the French Authorities in Paris- Charles de Gaulle,” correspondence between the couple and Air France read.
“Although your travel documents were verified before departure in Toronto, it is the passenger's responsibility at all times to meet the prerequisite conditions for entry into any country as stated in our General Conditions of Carriage.”
“It has been decided to offer the full refund for your tickets as a commercial gesture. Also, as a sign of regret for this unfortunate situation a compensation of 500 CAD as a non-refundable voucher will be issued for you as soon as the bank details are received.”
The Nazareths were relieved to get their $4,900 refunded and used the funds to buy new tickets to India and are now there visiting with friends and family.
“This is such a relief for us,” said Nazareth.
It's a good reminder for anyone traveling outside of Canada to check not only what kind of documents you need for a trip, but if copies are allowed or they must be the originals as it could save you being turned back.
In Alberta today, the United Conservative Party is looking to win a second consecutive majority government while the NDP is fighting to regain the office it lost in 2019.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside' from his role examining the issue of foreign interference before he embarks on public hearings.
New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan said Monday that Canada's spy agency has confirmed her long-held belief she is being targeted by the Chinese government, as the prime minister granted the NDP's wish to allow more party members to review top-secret intelligence.
William Karlsson, William Carrier and Jonathan Marchessault are finally getting another chance in the Stanley Cup Final, after the first one that came so quick for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Eastern Conference finals Most Valuable Player Jimmy Butler scored 28 points, and Caleb Martin had 26 points and 10 rebounds to help the eighth-seeded Miami Heat beat the Celtics 103-84 in Game 7 on Monday night and advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
Canadian political leaders and parliamentarians are denouncing a new law passed in Uganda that imposes harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for certain cases involving homosexuality.
There's a heightened risk of wildfires across the country during what has been one of the earliest fire seasons on record. From British Columbia to Nova Scotia, here's where the risk is highest.
The union representing the majority of Quebec's daycare workers is criticizing the government's decision to launch a skimpy 90-hour training program for people who want to be daycare workers but have no prior experience.
A Quebec driver who caused the death of another motorist when he swerved his truck to avoid hitting a family of ducks on the road has been sentenced to eight months in jail and a three-year driving ban.
The rural Oxford County intersection where an OPP officer and a school bus driver were killed Monday was less than a month away from becoming a four-way stop when the deadly crash happened.
It was a night of indecision at Waterloo region's catholic school board as trustees went back and forth trying to find the best approach to fill a vacant seat.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
The Sandy Hill Child Care Centre has an extra two weeks to get its new home up to code months after a fire destroyed its original site on Wilbrod Street.
Ottawa police are praising a local dad for quickly calling for help Sunday afternoon when he accidentally locked his keys in his car, and his infant child along with them.
Ontario Provincial Police say a driver from Augusta Township is facing an impaired driving charge after someone on Highway 416 spotted a vehicle moving erratically.
Windsor city council voted Monday in favour of adopting a master plan with high hopes for City Hall Square and a so-called civic esplanade stretching down to the river
A united front was on full display Monday as community leaders, politicians, business people, unions and educators gathered together at Windsor City Hall to ensure the NextStar Energy battery plant deal gets closed.
Doctors in their final year of training, called residency, can choose to do a one-month rotation at the Shelter Health Initiative (SHI) caring for Windsor’s homeless population.
In Alberta today, the United Conservative Party is looking to win a second consecutive majority government while the NDP is fighting to regain the office it lost in 2019.
One long-time electoral tradition came to an end on election day, when Postmedia announced there would be no printed newspaper announcing the winner in Calgary.
A Winnipeg family is asking for help to find their missing teenage son whom they haven't seen since he left for school in the Fort Richmond area last Wednesday morning.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
On Monday, Fraser Health provided two senior leaders to address the latest letter outlining risks to patients, allegations of muzzling, and pleas for help from emergency physicians in the health authority's hospitals.
The president of the BC Trucking Association is issuing renewed calls for safety after a trailer truck smashed into an overhead pass Monday morning in Langley.
In Alberta today, the United Conservative Party is looking to win a second consecutive majority government while the NDP is fighting to regain the office it lost in 2019.
Over 170,000 elementary and high school students weighed in on the Alberta election and the NDP had to hope the real voters were listening, because they won the kids' vote.
