You are on a vacation to the United States. But life has completely changed for you on this journey where you have met that special someone. Now that you have decided to get married! But what happens if you get married in the United States on a travel visa? Many people don’t know that a foreign nation who is in the United States on a travel visa is permitted to get married on that status.

It is not impossible to get the status of the travel visa changed. Ideally, the applicant is permitted to marry a citizen of the United States but then would have to return to his/her native country before the visa expires. However, it has to be ensured that your purpose was not to visit the United States only to get married and reside over there.

In order to get the status, the spouse of the foreign origin has to prove that his/her intentions were to spend a holiday and then return to their home. Getting married and intending to stay in this nation was not preplanned. Thus, the US authorities have to be satisfied in this regard.

However, before taking the plunge, here are a few aspects that you must consider. There might be chances that you might be denied a visa or the adjustment of your status. In such a case, what would you do? Many a times people are denied a visa for various reasons which include the lack of relevant documentation, health issues, bans imposed, criminal record and so on. Incase you are not granted a visa, would your spouse who is a US citizen move with you to your native country. It is important to consider this fact before getting married.

Once you are given a permit, you would not be allowed to travel outside the United States for a while. This would not be possible till the foreign spouse receives an advance parole/Green Card. If left without any of these documents, the US authorities would not permit you to enter again. And so, the process has to be started from the beginning.

Life in the United States might turn out to be quite different from that of your native country. You need to be physically and mentally prepared to cope up with culture shock, lifestyle, and extreme climatic conditions and so on. This means that you would have to leave your old life, family and friends to live with your spouse in the United States. Would this be acceptable to you?

Above all, you must remember that the travel visa implies only a temporary stay in the United States. In case, you intend to get married and reside in the US, the fiancé and the spouse visas are the programs to be applied for.

The new visa requirements for Mexicans intending to visit Canada have been made tougher. This has directly left an impact on the number of tourists arriving in Canada, thanks to the stringent visa requirements.

For instance, daughter of a teacher (who was working on work permit and was employed in Houston, Tax) was intending to mark her visit to Montreal with her siblings and meet their parents. But when she applied for the visa, the officials informed her that she has to visit Los Angeles or Washington, D.C. in order to get the visas which are granted to residents of Mexico intending to visit Canada.

Therefore, the daughter had to cancel her plans and the parents had to fly back to Houston to meet their kids. It has been more than a year now that the daughter now managed to get her Travel Visa to enter the country while she was on her vacation back to her homeland.

This is the dilemma faced by all the Mexicans who are intending to visit Canada. They have to go through rigid visa regulations and travel here and there in order to get their visas. And above all, there is no surety as to how much time would be taken to get the visas.

If this is the case of known Mexican residents, imagine the case of unknown Mexican residents intending to visit their parents or relatives in Canada. How much they would have to suffer when they would be asked to show their documents and travel here and there in an attempt to get their visas.

Best would be to take advise from an expert Immigration and Visa expert (www.abhinav.com) and go about the process.

The immigration authorities of Britain have granted travel visa to rapper Snoop Dogg as now the later would now be able to perform his concert in the UK. The audience will now have a reason to smile as they would be witnessing the live gigs of their favorite rapper after a long time.

In addition, the decision to grant visa to the rapper has ended the long term immigration battle that was going on between the rapper as well as the immigration authorities. It was on June 10, when the rapper was acquainted by the immigration authorities that he would be given the visa to perform his gigs in the UK. And now he is all set to perform his acts in the Glastonbury Festival, a much welcome move for all his fans out there.

According to the visa application by Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broadus), it stated that had the rapper not received an approval from the Immigration department, he would have gone to suffer a huge loss of $500,000. He faced a ban in the year 2006, where he was speculated to hold his involvement in a scam at London’s Heathrow airport.

The following year, he expected to come to the U.K. in order to speak on the topic of youth violence. But he barred from getting the visa, courtesy his various impending charges.

Hence, the rapper went for a challenging legal fight against the immigration authorities and eventually managed to win the battle this year.

If you are already staying in Canada, one of the sure and easiest ways in which your clan can join you as immigrants is by taking the help of family class immigration. Following this route, you have the freedom to bring some members of you kin and allow them to immigrate to Canada, on the promise that during a certain time span, you would be responsible for taking their best care.

In order to fulfill the eligibility requirements, applicants who are intending to immigrate to Canada must have a relative who is eager to provide sponsorship to them. In addition, it is mandatory for the person living in Canada to have a Canadian citizenship or have a Permanente Residency Status. In addition, below mentioned requirements are a must to fulfill:

• The sponsor must prove that he has the financial ability to support the dependants
• He should be eager to sign a document with the Government of Canada or Quebec nodding to the fact that he/she would provide all the necessities to the dependants.
• The sponsor must be aged 18 or above that. Should not have any criminal record, not be a victim of bankruptcy and should not be under the removal of a PR status.

Other ways to enter Canada: In addition to the Family Class Sponsorship, there are other legal ways also, through which applicants can enter Canada. They are through a Travel Visa, Student Visa or on a Temporary Work Permit. Make sure you follow the legal route towards your immigration!

The visa denial series involving the Canadian High Commission in India and the Indian border protection personnel seems to be never ending. Even after expressing regrets by the Canadian immigration ministry over the issue, there were still few more details to come out. A latest report of an e-mail sent to a Punjab police officer tended to uncover the hypocrisy of the Canadian government over the whole visa dismissal saga.

Reportedly, Parmjit Singh Khaira had filed a petition for a travel visa to Canada in on August last year. However, he happened to be one of those security officials who have been rejected permits over the recent years. The Canadian High Commission in India dismissed his application after five days of his filing the same, citing the reason that Mr. Khaira does not fulfill the requirements of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act’s Section 35(1) (A).

As per the said section, Canada does not permit the entrance of the individuals who have engaged themselves in anti-human activities. Eventually, the officer had to face more interviews, following his appeal to the consulate general in Chandigarh. Still, he was not found eligible for the visa. He then appealed the immigration ministry for a review of the decision in written in March, 2010. Khaira was then sent an e-mail from the ministry that supported the views expressed by the High Commission. The ministry stood by the views that Khaira belonged to the group of inadmissible individuals who are not allowed by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

This particular case surely exhibits the slyness of the Canadian government, irrespective of its regrets over the series of visa rejection instances!

The recent refusal of visa application of one of the ex-staff of border security force by the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi has been roundly criticised and rightly so. It is not the refusal as such but the reasons for refusal that are the bone of contention. To call one of the Indian paramilitary forces engaged in “systematic torture” is preposterous and condemnable. However, it may be pointed out that a clarification has already been given to the Canadian High Commission. Also, that Canada respects Indian institutions and democracy and a review of the controversial refusal may be in order.

There are two issues that stand out clearly from this refusal. Firstly, the concepts of “Immigration” and “Visa” are often used by Governments across the world to make political statements for another country. They are at times used as weapons for diplomatic negotiations. For instance, China does not issue visit visas to the residents of Arunachal Pradesh as the nation feels that this Indian state is actually a part of China. Thus, they do not a need visa to visit their homeland. Similarly, even the Indian Government has been known to be tough on issuing visas to leaders of so-called free Kashmiri movement.

Secondly, the refusal highlights the discretionary powers that a visa officers exercises in the overall decision making process. Reports suggest that the applicant in question was through with most of the immigration process, including the medical formalities. Prior to stamping, he was called for an interview which is not a standard process any more. Post this interview, his application was rejected. The refusal reasons advised by the visa officer clearly indicate a prejudiced mindset that is not taking decisions against the merit of the application.

This subsequent rebuttal by the High Commission indicates that it is not part of the Canadian government policy. This happens every day with thousands of visa applicants to various countries. The situation is worse in case of applicants for visit visa for travel or business. There is no logic or system that can justify refusal and acceptance of applications. The best would be refused for ridiculous reasons and the worst would be accepted for no logic.

The applicants would have to pay thousands of Rupees as fee for any temporary visa be it for visit or business purposes. But most times, the applicants are not even given an opportunity to present their case through an interview. Where an interview is indeed taken (for instance, USA), the applicant gets 1-3 minutes for a decision to be taken by the interviewing officer. The file that he has painstakingly prepared is not even looked into. The decision is based on how the applicant talks and walks or if he gets nervous. Why should all the High Commission and Visa Posts retain the fee of the applicants whose visit visa applications have been refused?  Is it not true that the visa posts of the popular destinations like USA, Canada, UK, France etc. are major money making machines for these Governments? If visa officer’s discretion is what is going to decide the acceptance of an application, then why not take a minimum administrative fee in the first instance and take major part of application fee if the case is approved?

Long term reforms are in order on the discretionary factors related to visa approvals. That is the only sure shot strategy to ensure that incidents related to the above do not occur again.

Here is what Gopal K Pillai, Secretary; MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) has to say in reference to a recent article on the genuine tourists to India in the Times of India:

His first reaction was the report is not at all based on facts. He said that the guidelines set by MHA, with respect to a gap of two months, were launched in order to keep the illegal and undocumented applicants away from violating the use of the Tourist Visa. The mandates are not applicable for genuine overseas visitors including the ones holding a Business Visa, PIO or OCI Cards.

He went on to say that a provision for the genuine tourists is on the cards! It would be meant for the tourists, who visit India within that two month span of their last departure, courtesy any urgent situation, as they may have to get a special permission after fulfilling the required formalities.

As far as these special cases are concerned, the Indian missions/posts abroad have all the rights and power to grant some entries (need based) , in accordance with the documents and itinerary submitted, Mr. Gopal K Pillai further added.

Here is the source to the article, ‘Genuine visitors pay price for Headley visa’.

The article said that genuine visitors to India are paying a heavy price, courtesy the latest amendments. Mr. Gopal K Pillai, in his statements, was clearly seen defending the recent changes made in the regulations for Tourists Visa.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has set a number of rules and regulations on shipping goods by people who migrate to or enter the UK. Arriving UK is not really complicated as long as you abide by the rules. Just obey these rules and you are free to enter the nation!

If you breach the rules set by HMRC, there are possibilities that you may be taken into custody or detained. You are not allowed to bring certain things across UK border. Thus, a little knowledge about the UK custom regulations comes handy when you are planning to travel the UK.

The HMRC has divided the goods into 4 categories. They are:

• Things that can be brought across the UK free of charge.
• Things that can be brought across the UK, however, which may incur charge, such as duty/value added tax.
• Things that can be brought across the UK, but with legal permission.
• Things that should not be brought across the UK.

Interestingly, visitors are permitted to bring alcohol, tobacco, perfume into the UK free of charge, however, there is as limit to the amount. These allowances, except the perfume are only meant for people who are over 17 years old.

Go through the UK custom regulations before you plan to enter the country in order to avoid any undesirable incident! Or you can hire professional help to know about the rules and regulations. For a smooth entry to a country, it is very important to know its limitations! Safe and Happy traveling!

The land of cakes, Scotland is applauded for its charismatic destinations all over the globe. The brilliant European aura serves as a cherry on the cake and serves an addition to the amazing grandeur offered by Scotland!

Where to start from! Let us step our foot on the Edinburgh castle. You can move further and know about the history of Scotland by visiting the Scottish National War Museum and apprehend the sacrifice done by Scotland soldiers since the year 1914. Edinburgh, in addition, is decked with plenty of accommodation options for all kinds of visitors to opt for.

Scotland is applauded for its lochs. Loch Ness and Loch Awe are some of the most visited lochs of Scotland. It is a must to visit Loch Ness without which your visit would be regarded as ‘incomplete.’ But do not go too near to the water body as you may spot a Loch Ness Monster coming your way!

Move your vehicle to Glasgow and visit the famous Glasgow Science Center, which is gradually becoming Scotland’s leading educational hubs. It is known to present the concepts of education and science in a unique way that separates it from the rest of the educational centers.

If you are an art lover, then The National Gallery of Scotland would surely serve your purpose with brilliance. Their collection of International art is perhaps some of the best in this world.

Scotland, all in all, is acclaimed for its awe aspiring scenic beauty and angelic mountains. Ben Nevis, Ben Macdhui, and Braeriach are some of the highest mountains in Scotland. Therefore, there is something for everyone!

Scotland has so many things to explore! Just hire an Immigration and visa expert and know about your chances of getting a Travel Visa to Scotland today!

Summers are an excellent time-period to visit Melbourne! The place is clasped with many attractions for sport-geeks, music fanatics, adventure lovers, and people of all age groups. Melbourne is even perfect for all those fanatics who want to enjoy the sun in the winters!

Let us start with the hottest sports activities in Melbourne. The place plays host to one of the biggest Grand Slams, Australian Open every year in the month of January. Other sports events hosted by Melbourne are the Heineken Golf Classic and the Sail Melbourne Regatta, to name a few. In addition, adventure lovers can try some of the daring sports like bungee jumping, biking, river rafting, climbing, abseiling, adventure tours, skydiving, paragliding, parasailing and horse trekking also.

If you are one of those travelers who love to explore the musical side of a country, it is advised to attend the famous Melbourne International Music Festival and provide your ears with some of the refreshing songs ever.

A shopping geek can go wild in the famous Collins Street as it serves as an apt place to shop some of the craziest attires and wonderful books. City of Yaraa is another hot-spot destination for shopping. Above all, Melbourne is also famous for its night life. The place is snuggled with various nightclubs, jazz-clubs and pubs that are spread everywhere. Apart from making the best of the night life, ensure that you utilize the day time at its fullest. St. Kilda is an amazing beach that is worth visiting with your loved ones.

Melbourne is applauded for its open-air cafes, delicatessen shops, bars and eat-outs, which makes it a perfect tourist destination for food lovers out there. Start with your favorite cake, binge in the best pizza and try out the various delicacies offered by this amazing city!

Other attractive places to see in Melbourne are Melbourne CBD, Royal Botanic Gardens, State Library of Victoria and Old Melbourne Gaol, Southgate Arts and Leisure Precinct, The Southern Star Observation Wheel, St Kilda Beach, Richmond, Fitzroy, Melbourne Observation Deck, Federation Square, and Great Ocean Road. But do not limit your visit to these places. Explore the entire Melbourne. Go hire a Travel Visa consultant today!