Visa Uncertainties Loom Over Indian Law Students' Participation In International Moot Court Competition

In an unfortunate development, law students in India who had participated in the National Rounds of the 26th Stetson International Environmental Moot, 2022 and had subsequently qualified for the World Rounds are now unable to procure the required visa which would enable them to represent the Indian subcontinent in the World Rounds which are to take place in Florida, USA, from April 7-9, 2022. 

The Stetson Moot is one of the world's largest moot court competitions exclusively dedicated to global environmental issues. The moot is organized by the Stetson University College of Law, Florida in cooperation with the Stetson Center for Excellence in Advocacy, and the Stetson Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy. 

The Indian National Rounds of the 26th Stetson International Environmental Moot, 2022 was organised by Jindal Global Law School in association with Surana & Surana International Attorneys from 12th to 14th February 2021. The National Rounds is an important tier for the competition and a platform for identifying the top teams which would represent India at the Stetson World Rounds. 

The team from National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore had emerged as winners of the National Rounds and the team representing National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad was adjudged as the Runners-Up. 

The other teams from India which have qualified to participated in the World Rounds are- National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal and Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Punjab. 

However, on March 19, Kiara Dsouza, a student from NALSAR, Hyderabad who along with her teammates had been adjudged as the Runners Up in the National Rounds posted on her Twitter handle that although she and her teammate Archita Satish had completed their visa applications, they were unfortunately unable to secure appointment dates for the interview without which it would be impossible for them to procure a visa. 

"Missing out on such a prestigious opportunity to represent the Indian Continent after intense preparation for over 7 months, solely due to lack of visas would be highly disheartening", she posted further. She had also appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs, India, the Prime Minister's Office and other dignitaries for assistance in the matter. 

A similar message was also posted on Twitter by Preetkiran Kaur, a student from RGNUL, Punjab, India who along with her teammate had also qualified for the World Rounds. She averred that her team was unable to secure the necessary visa appointments due to which their participation in the World Rounds is at stake.

"All our hard work of last six months will go in vain..Therefore, we earnestly request u to help us secure the visa appointment. We really do not want to miss out on such an important and prestigious opportunity only because of non availability of visas", she had posted further. She had also appealed for help from Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India, the Embassy of India, Washington, DC, the Prime Minister's Office and other dignitaries.

Speaking to LiveLaw, Preetkiran Kaur stated that she along with her teammate had been informed that there is a huge backlog of visa appointments due to the ongoing pandemic as a result of which it is unlikely that they will be able to secure a date for a visa interview in the near future. 

She further stated that they had written to the US Embassy in India with the help of their University authorities requesting them to expedite the visa application procedure after highlighting the urgency of the matter. However, such a request had been declined by the US Embassy in India on the ground that sufficient reasons for urgency had not been shown. 

It was also averred that the team had written to the organisers of the moot court competition i.e. the Stetson University College of Law, Florida requesting them to conduct the competition in a hybrid mode however such a request had also been declined. 

As a result, she informed that her team had been writing to various dignitaries on Twitter and on other platforms for assistance and to seek help in amplifying their grievance. 

Similarly, the NALSAR team while speaking to LiveLaw stated that they had been unable to secure visa appointment dates on such a short notice. They further averred that their University authorities had been very helpful and had been trying to get in touch with dignitaries to expedite their visa application process however no positive response has been received till date. 

The RGNUL, Punjab team comprises of fourth-year students Preetkiran Kaur and Vaishnavi Chaudhry. The NALSAR, Hyderabad team comprises of students Kiara Dsouza, Archita Satish and Anushri Rajiv Bhuta.