When you’ll require a visa is determined by where you want to go. If your home country and the country to which you intend to visit have a visa agreement, you will most likely not need to apply for a visa ahead of time. If your home country does not have a visa agreement with your planned destination, you will need to apply for a visa before departure

If you want to travel to a country that does not have a visa regime similar to your own, you’ll need a visa.

Many nations have visa regulations and agreements that allow inhabitants of those countries to travel freely between them without requiring a visa.

A country’s visa policy is a set of rules that determines who is allowed and who is not allowed to enter the country. The policy may allow passport holders from one nation to enter without a visa, but not those from another. The majority of visa rules are bilateral, meaning that two countries will enable their nationals to travel visa-free, however this is not always the case. When it comes to setting visa policies, there are no hard and fast laws. However, diplomatic links with the other country, the history of illegal immigration from the country, and cost and tourism factors are some determining factors.

Visa limitations are in place to keep track of and control the flow of visitors in and out of a nation, as well as to prevent illegal immigration and other criminal activity. By requiring travelers to apply for a visa, the authorities are able to thoroughly scrutinize potential visitors. Individuals may, for example, attempt to migrate to a country with superior economic chances in order to work there illegally.

There are different types of Visas that are available based on your requirement and purpose of travel overseas such as Student Visa, Work Visa, Investor Visa, Business Visa, Dependent Visa, and Visitor Visa, etc. 

Let us look at each visa in detail:

Visitor visa

Visitor visas are non-immigrant visas that an individual must apply for if they wish to enter a country temporarily for business, tourism or for transiting through a country while on journey by air or ship.

Student visa

A student visa is issued to students enrolled at qualified educational institutions in foreign countries. Student visas are non-immigrant visas. Students who wish to pursue higher education in another country must obtain a student visa to study in that country.

Most countries issue student visas for foreign students to attend school within their borders. To obtain a visa, the student must first be enrolled at a college or university in that country.

Work visa

Work visa allows you to enter a foreign country and work there for a fixed period of time.  Different countries may have different procedures and eligibility requirements for work permit visas. These visas are issued either on temporary or permanent basis. A temporary work visa is valid only for a fixed period of time after which it has to be renewed if the visa holder has to extend his visa. Generally, the employer applies for a work permit visa.  the employer will apply to the immigration authority of a particular country for approval of the visa.

Dependent visa

A Dependent visa is a type of Visa that permits the spouses and kids to travel to an overseas nation for the purpose of accompanying/joining the family member with a corresponding Visa.

With a dependent visa, the dependents of a lawful migrant to a country such as spouse, dependent children or parents can enter and stay in the country. Such dependents can apply for a visa to join the migrant in the country.

Investor visa

Investor visa is offered by countries to encourage people with a proven business track record and a genuine intent in developing a business overseas to invest in their country. This can be either a new business venture or buying an existing overseas business.

Australia and Canada have an Immigrant Investor Programs. The USP of such programs in these countries are that they offer the option of having an alternate residency status while continuing to manage already existing business.

The Immigrant Investor Programs seek to attract potential immigrant investors who have enough personal net worth and managerial experience. A qualifying business under this program is any business except for those that operate with the purpose of gaining interest or capital gains.

Every country that offers an investor visa has its own set of requirements and eligibility criteria.

Business visa

Government authorities in countries issue business visas to travelers who wish to conduct business activities and meetings that are not related to employment in that country. A business visa allows the holder to:

• Attend meetings
• Business events/conferences
• Investigate business opportunities and ventures

The documents required for a Visa interview will depend on the nation and type of Visa that you are applying to. The documents that are most commonly required are:

• Original Passport with a minimum of 6 months of validity after arrival to the overseas nation
• All expired Passports
• 1 photograph both hard and digital copy as per the specification
• The Visa application confirmation page stamped at the VAC
• A valid receipt of Visa fee payment
• Printout of appointment letter for the Visa interview

Supporting documents required for a Visa interview

The idea of supporting documents is to verify –

• Legality
• Validity
• Illegal history, if any
• Monetary affordability;
• Intention to return to home country

Let us look at the documents required for visa interviews for important countries:

United States

• Application Form DS-160 Confirmation Page
• Valid passport;
• Previous passport(s), if any
• Color photo less than six months old that meet specific requirements
• Fee payment in cash
• Proof of finances (bank statements)
• Additional documents as required by your visa category or personal circumstances

United Kingdom

• Interview appointment confirmation
• Receipt to prove payment of visa fees
• Self-attested copy of the online application form
• Other relevant documents based on the type of visa

Canada

• Valid passport
• Documents verifying your identity
• Other documents relevant to your visa application

Germany

• Valid passport
• Completed visa application form
• Supporting documents that include proof of having healthcare insurance, passport photos, and other documents relevant to the visa you have applied for

The Visa processing times are variable depending on the category of Visa and your location. It can take around a few weeks to some months.

For the U.S, depending on your individual visa, the processing times differ widely. A temporary, non-immigrant visa can usually be processed much quicker than a permanent visa for immigrants. Your visa should be approved within a few days whether you’re visiting the United States for business or travel. Visas for immigrants, meanwhile, will take 3 to 5 weeks. In this period, you will know if your visa application is accepted or rejected.

For Canada, the application processing time is the period between the receipt of your visa application by IRCC and the final decision to grant your PR visa. The processing time varies for the different immigration programs that the country offers. So, how soon you will get your PR visa depends on the immigration program you have selected to apply for your PR visa.

The most popular immigration program is the Express Entry system which also has the fastest processing time. The average processing time for the PR visa in 2020 right from the filing of the application to getting the invitation to apply (ITA) from Canadian authorities is 6 months.

In the other popular immigration program – the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), the process is almost like the Express Entry program. The only difference being the verification process takes a little longer, this can extend the processing time to about 12 months.

For the Quebec skilled Workers Program (QSWP), a provincial immigration program run by the Quebec province, the processing time is between 12-16 months.

The processing time of the Canadian work permit is solely dependent on the completion of your application and the office at which you have applied. We have found that processing a Canadian Work Permit can take between 1-27 weeks.

Like work permits, Canadian study permit processing time relies largely on the country of residence of the applicant. A Canadian research permit can usually be processed for between 1-16 weeks.

For Australia, the PR visa takes about 12 to 18 months on average to be processed.

To ensure that your Australian PR visa application is processed on time do not submit an incomplete application. For the smooth processing of your application, make sure you meet the key requirements of the visa application process.

The processing time for other major visa categories are as under:

For the UK, you will hear the decision on your visa application within 3 weeks. This applies to most of the visa categories such as tourist, student or work visa.

The cost of the Visa is variable depending on the category of Visa and your location. It can cost around a few hundreds of dollars to some thousands of dollars.

Let us look at the cost of visas for certain popular overseas destinations.

USA

The application fee for the most common nonimmigrant visa types such as tourist, business, student visas is USD160.  The cost of work and religious visas is USD190. K visas cost USD 265 and the fee amount for E visas is USD 205. The tables below are a more comprehensive list of visa types and fee amounts.

Schengen visa

The cost of the Schengen visa will vary based on the type of visa and the age of the applicant. The visa application costs include the visa fees you should pay at the respective embassy or consulate.

 United Kingdom

• Visit visa < 6 months, 95 pounds
• Visit visa < 2 years 61 pounds
• Visit visa < 5 years, 655 pounds
• Visit visa <10 years, 822 pounds
• Visiting academic – more than 6 months but no more than 12 months, 190 pounds
• Private medical treatment visa – more than 6 months but not more than 11 months, 190 pounds
• Short term student visa (up to 6 months), 97 pounds

Canada

Costs in CAD

• Study Permit, $150
• Work Permit, $155
• Visitor Visa, $100
• Visitor Visa (Family), $500
• Working Holiday Visa, $153

Australia

This is where the services of Beyond Boarders Visa Facilitating Services Comes in. Click here to book a consultation