Worldwide Passport & Visa News and Updates

//Worldwide Passport & Visa News and Updates

Over Six Million Schengen Visa Applications Lodged in 2018, 25% of Them for France

The consulates of the common travel area of Schengen located abroad have received over 16 million Schengen visa applications for the second year in a row. Despite that there was a decrease of under 1%, compared to 2017, this is the second highest number of applications that the Schengen consulates have received in the recent years. 16,007,785 applications for a Schengen visa were lodged in 2018, 9.6% of which were turned down. This is the highest rate [...]

2019-04-25T08:03:59+00:00 April 25th, 2019|Schengen Visa News|
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New Zealand to Grant Permanent Visas to Christchurch Survivors

Survivors of the Christchurch attack that took place last month in two mosques in New Zealand can now apply for permanent residency in New Zealand. Immediate family members of the late victims and of the survivors are also eligible to apply starting April 24, 2019 until April 24, 2021. “You can get this visa if you were present at the Masjid Al Noor or Linwood mosques while they were attacked on 15 March 2019, or are the [...]

2019-04-24T14:24:23+00:00 April 24th, 2019|New Zealand Visa/Passport News|
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Israelis Can Apply for US E-2 Treaty Investor Visas Starting Next Month

The United States has added Israel to the list of countries eligible for E-2 Treaty Investor Visas. Nationals of the country will be able to apply for such a visa starting May 1, 2019. The US Embassy in Jerusalem has announced the signing of the treaty through a press release. “The U.S. Embassy has the pleasure to announce that a treaty investor agreement (E2 Visa) has been signed between the United States and Israel and will become [...]

2019-04-19T11:05:32+00:00 April 19th, 2019|US Visa/Passport News|
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Ireland to Call Off Its Visa Re-Entry System for IRP/GNIB Card Holders Next Month

Ireland has finally decided to abolish its much-criticized re-entry visa system for foreigners holding an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) or Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) card. According to a press release by the Ministry of Justice and Equality, the abolition will come into effect on May 13th, 2019. Applicants who intend to travel and return to Iceland before this date will be able to get their re-entry visa, free of charge. The Minister for Justice and Equality, [...]

2019-04-16T08:32:19+00:00 April 16th, 2019|Ireland Visa/Passport News|
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Schengen Area May Reintroduce Visas for Albanians Traveling to the Member States

The Netherlands may soon propose to the European Commission to suspend visa-free traveling to the Schengen Area for Albanian nationals. Last week the Dutch Parliament supported a motion initiated by four MPs from different parties, asking the government to suggest the suspension of Schengen visa liberalization for Albania. According to this motion, filed by MP Madeleine van Toorenburg of the Christian Democrats, there is a substantial increase in criminal activities by the Albanian Mafia in the Netherlands. [...]

2019-04-15T12:51:26+00:00 April 15th, 2019|Albania Visa/Passport News, Schengen Visa News|
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Visit US Coalition Supports Renaming the Visa Waiver Program to the Secure Partnership Program

The Visit US Coalition has shown its support to the JOLT Act, the bipartisan legislation that suggests the renaming of the US Visa Waiver Program to the Secure Travel Partnership. According to a press release of the coalition, the change would better reflect the program’s security standards and traveler benefits. Andrea Riccio spokesperson for the Visit US Coalition, which is a broad cross-section of industries that have come together to address the decrease of foreign travelers to [...]

2019-04-13T15:38:25+00:00 April 13th, 2019|US Visa/Passport News|
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DHS to Double Number of H-2B Visas for the 2019 Summer Season

The United States Department of Homeland Security has made another 30,000 seasonal guest worker visas available for 2019, additional to the regular 33,000 that are annually granted. The move has been undertaken in a bid to bring more foreign workers to do the work that Americans won't do. According to a statement by the DHS, the US Congress has set the H-2B cap at 66,000 per fiscal year, with a maximum of 33,000 available during the first [...]

2019-04-12T11:03:07+00:00 April 12th, 2019|US Visa/Passport News|
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Japanese Introduces New Work Visa Regulations in a Bid to Tackle Labor Shortages

The new Japanese visa regulations, which intend to bring more foreign workers to fill job gaps in Japan, have come into force on April 1.  Though Japan is known for its strict immigration policies, the country has been forced to undertake such move in order to deal with the growing problem of labor shortages in the country. The governing coalition of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pushed the law to let foreign workers come to the country, [...]

2019-04-11T12:20:12+00:00 April 11th, 2019|Japan Visa/Passport News|
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FY 2020 H-1B Visa Regular Cap Reached in Five Days

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have announced that the H1-B Visa regular cap for the fiscal year 2020 has been reached. According to a press release of the USCIS, the agency has received a sufficient number of petitions projected as needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap for the fiscal year 2020. “USCIS will next determine if we have received a sufficient number of petitions to meet the 20,000 H-1B [...]

2019-04-09T08:18:57+00:00 April 9th, 2019|H1B Visa News Portal|
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Tourism in Belarus Nearly Doubles a Year After Introduction of Visa-Free Travel

Belarus authorities estimate that the number of foreigners visiting the country has increased by 43% in the last year. Such an increase has surely been driven by the new Belarus visa-free regime introduced last year by the country. At the end of December 2017, the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka signed a decree, which established visa free-regime for nationals of several countries. The decree permitted those traveling to the country for tourism purposes to enter and stay for [...]

2019-04-01T15:46:42+00:00 April 1st, 2019|Belarus Visa/Passport News|
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