Mum, Gulf Goenkars pitch for better life

PANAJI: Not just resident Goans, but even those living in Mumbai and the Gulf are turning to the many agents hawking their “expert services” to help them become card-carrying Europeans.
“I have contacted an agent in Margao who will help me gather my ancestral documents in Goa and register my application in Portugal,” said Walter Gomes of Malad, Mumbai.
Though well employed on the rigs, Gomes says he is doing it for his children. “I have Goan friends in Mumbai who have got their Portuguese passports and are working in Europe today. One of my closest friends is in Switzerland,” he said.
Bosco Fernandes of Ghatkopar is another Mumbai-based Goan who has applied for Portuguese nationality. “I’m already in my mid-forties, but I’m doing it so my daughter has options in the future,” said Fernandes, “Even if Portugal or Europe is not doing well currently, the Portuguese passport gives us an opportunity to move around the world to seek employment. Living abroad also gives you a better standard of living. Mumbai is going from bad to worse.”
Goans in the Gulf too have their sights set on Europe. Wilma Ferrao, who was employed in Dubai, got her Portuguese passport and left for the UK, but returned to the Gulf when she didn’t find a good job there. "This time, I did not require a visa to enter the Gulf. I not only found a job, but also got a better salary. In the Gulf, a Goan with a Portuguese passport earns more than a Goan with an Indian passport,” she claimed.
Leonardo de Souza, a Goan in Kuwait is currently in the process of getting his Portuguese nationality. “The very fact that this facility is available to us Goans makes me want to grab it. Imagine trying to obtain the same in the US or elsewhere. One needs to live there, meet certain criteria, etc. before becoming eligible. Moreover, being Portuguese has better prospects for me than an Indian in the Gulf. If an Indian passport-holder earns 400 Kuwaiti Dinars (KD), an Arab earns 600 KD and European and American passport-holders even more than the Arabs. Many companies also sponsor air-fare for Arab, European and American passport-holders, but not for Indian nationals,” griped de Souza, who is in touch with two passport agents and a lawyer in Lisbon.
He is worried about severing links with India though so his wife will continue to hold an Indian passport.
(Names changed on request to protect identities)