CAIRO: When Ryan Stedmann went to renew his Egypt visa at the towering beauracratic building in downtown Cairo he was worried. Already two expired tourist visas were in his passport, he was concerned they wouldn't give him an extension. He was right. Stedmann, an American studying Arabic in Egypt, is one of many living in the country and learning Arabic on tourism visas. His situation, and reports from outside the country, are frustrating young people wanting to travel and visit friends in Egypt, or study Arabic. “I am just going to leave for the holidays and come back in to get a new visa and hope that they will give me an extension,” Stedmann told Bikyamasr.com. In Turkey, students and travelers both have reported over the past four months it is nearly impossible to get a visa to Egypt, being turned away time and time again, even for those who have recently visited the country. The reports of foreigners being refused visas to Egypt comes as the government and military lament the poor state of tourism in Egypt, which has seen massive drops since the January uprising ousted former President Hosni Mubarak. One American, married to an Egyptian, applied for a five-year residency visa, but instead, was handed a three month stay, and no explanation was given. “I was really angry, because they made us pay this fee and that fee and in the end we only received three months. That's not fair, because I know a lot of women married to Egyptians who get long-term visas or even citizenship through their marriage,” the American told Bikyamasr.com. With tourism dropping, the government is not doing itself any favors. The tourism ministry said that it was looking into the difficulties, telling Bikyamasr.com that it was “hoping to evaluate how visas are being given.” They added that tourists should be here short-term and if they want to study “they should get student visas.” But Stedmann said this was impossible because of the size of the school where he studies. “They want only the larger schools and are not giving visas to the smaller, private places that many foreigners study at.” He is right, others have reportedly attempted to obtain student visas from the government to study at smaller institutions, but have been told they must be studying at Cairo University, The American University in Cairo (AUC) or a similar institution. “This is just impossible for me, based on money,” Stedmann said. “So are we just going to have to go to another place that allows us to study? I don't know.” For Turks, the situation has become so frustrating that they are simply told no by Egyptian embassy and consulate officials in Ankara and Istanbul. Ironic, it seems, considering the praise Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan received upon arriving in Cairo last summer. Earlier this year, the Egyptian government announced it would be ending the ability for travelers to acquire visas at the airport. Although it only lasted a matter of days, it sparked massive outcries of frustration. Now, that fear of being turned away, or forced out, has again returned to Egypt's dwindling foreigner population. Tour operators today, especially those in Europe, are worried that the moves being taken by the Egyptian government toward visitors and travelers will have detrimental effects on the country's future economy, which depends largely on tourism. BM
