International travel after deportation
By Nancy Landa
Traveling abroad after deportation is one subject I get asked about. I often find that this question is loaded with fears and trauma that a deportee carries with him or herself due to the limitations one learned to cope with, particularly in the case of undocumented migrants who were expelled to their country of origin. Does deportation mean the end of mobility? The answer is NO.
Once we learn to get past the emotional triggers that come with a difficult migration past, the doors are still open to explore possibilities in other parts of the world. Of course, one must keep in mind that international mobility in a documented way in practice is not a human right, and it is mainly afforded to those who are able to comply with the entry requirements, both documentation and financial, that the host country imposes. I’ll share part of my experience (from a Mexican perspective) with international travel I have been able to do after my deportation from the USA, which hopefully offers some guidance to migrants who are looking to explore traveling for tourism or educational purposes.
One of the first things that I learned is that my country of origin’s passport afforded me more access to mobility than I first imagined. Mexico ranks 22nd and is just a few spots away from other top Latin American countries like Chile, Argentina, and Brazil in the “Global Passport Index” - meaning that it provides high access to travel around the world. For travel to Europe, other nationalities require specialized permits, including a Schengen visa, to visit most countries in the European region (although in 2024 there will be some additional restrictions including for US nationals). Obviously, these types of permits respond to a State’s migration practices which seek to limit mobility as a political response rather than an evidence-based migration policy. Such is the case in the USA-Latin American migration context, however, we should keep in mind that this paradigm changes when we are looking to explore travel in other regions. Canada used to impose a similar regulatory visa with Mexico back in 2010 when I applied for a multi-entry visa, but I had no issue in requesting it despite my deportation track record with the USA.
In a similar way, I was able to obtain study visas in both the United Kingdom (2013) and Germany (2015) and traveled most of Europe (as a tourist) without much trouble with immigration authorities. As a funny anecdote, the only country I had a problem with was Cuba (2011) as I had a connecting flight there to my final destination in the Cayman Islands for a friend’s wedding. Cuban immigration authorities apparently flagged younger women from countries like Mexico who traveled alone on that route due to drug trafficking concerns. I had to undergo a secondary inspection and almost missed my flight due to their intensive interrogation.
The main hurdle in obtaining my UK student visa had nothing to do with my deportation. I made a haste decision to pursue a graduate degree abroad and had only 8 months to reorganize my life, including trying to fund my education and transitioning from my job to being ready to embark on that journey. I tried to apply for the UK student visa with as much lead time given my circumstances (if I recall correctly it was three months prior to my planned departure), but I had not read the small print on the visa application that stipulated that the applicant had to meet the financial requirement (at the moment it was £9K pounds) with the funds available in my personal bank account for at least the 3 months prior to the application submission. Not meeting the time requirement resulted in a rejection of my student visa application. I remembered feeling that my plan to study abroad was about to crumble, and my deportation trauma kicked in - with the feeling of rejection I constantly experienced in both the US and Mexico, and with the distress that I would not be able to pursue the one alternative I found to continue my studies. This added to the impossibility of continuing my studies in Mexico because my US undergrad degree was not recognized by the education authorities and I was required to re-do most of it to continue a graduate program. I received the student visa rejection notice shortly after I quit my job to study abroad and I had not considered I needed a backup plan in case this didn’t turn out.
Thankfully, I still had a government scholarship application pending, so not all was lost. One month prior to starting my program in the UK I was notified that I was awarded the scholarship and with the intervention of the Mexican government the scholarship recipient cohort was supported to go through an expedited visa application process with the UK Embassy so that we wouldn’t miss the start of our academic program. So, we could say that the biggest barrier I faced in studying abroad was the financial requirements rather than a deportation history. In the end, I trusted I would get my student visa this time around, to the point that I bought my airplane ticket to London taking off the same day I was scheduled to go to the UK embassy to pick up my passport, knowing that there was a risk of cancellation if my visa was not approved. It was a nerve-wracking day because my future plans relied on a positive response from the UK Embassy. Also, at the time I was living in Tijuana, and I had to fly to Mexico City with my luggage with the uncertainty of whether I would get on my flight to London. Thankfully, the answer was “Approved” when I picked up my paperwork and I was able to carry on with my plan. Lesson learned… plan things with enough time so you avoid this kind of stress!!!
One important disclaimer to note about a deportation past is the extent to which this is tied to criminal history. Most visa applications ask about felony offenses/criminal history and that is given a higher priority of disclosure and investigation rather than the administrative act of deportation itself (let’s not overlook governments share information on this front). I don’t know of cases where immigration offenses (i.e. being caught after irregular re-entry in the USA case) with an attempt to apply for a visa in a third country, but such situations should be consulted with an immigration attorney.
One particular point where I do not have experience or enough knowledge is for undocumented migrants who want to travel to a third country and whether they are able to do so from their host country (for example, from the USA to a European country). From a couple of cases I heard about, the individuals returned to their country of origin to embark on their travels, obviously, making this decision knowing that they would not be returning to the host country (the USA). I also would assume that immigration authorities are likely to intercept you in the country you reside irregularly if you plan your international travel from there. Consequently, it does require a consideration of the logistics of your departure, possibly from your country of origin to avoid complications.
So, the main takeaway I want to leave you with is that mobility is still possible after deportation and if you do your research and plan it with ample time, you are likely to make it possible. Let’s keep in mind that this is still a somewhat privileged situation in comparison to people who have limited financial resources or are migrating in a context of survival. Nonetheless, it is an option for those who are able to mobilize support and resources. An undocumented past or deportation will not necessarily be a limiting factor. There is oftentimes limited information available for people with this migration history when it comes to international travel, but I believe that if we share our own experiences, other people can envision this as a viable option for themselves.
I encourage comments on this post to share those experiences, tips, and resources that can help deportees/undocumented migrants explore their options with international travel (be it for study, work, etc.).
Bon voyage!
Originally Published in Mundo Citizen Blog on July 24, 2023