The EU will lift visa requirements for Eastern Partnership states if the latter introduce European security standards, a senior official has said. The European commissioner for enhancement and European neighbourhood policy, Stefan Füle, made the remarks at the opening of the second European civil society forum in Berlin on Thursday.…
Australia has announced changes to its independent skilled migration points test which will go into effect on 1 July 2011. The new immigration points system will put increased emphasis on work experience and high level educational qualifications.Points will continue to be awarded for study in Australia, regional study, community languages,…
The European Parliament passed a proposal Thursday to grant visa-free privileges to Taiwanese nationals entering the 28 European countries, following the inclusion of Taiwan in visa-waiver programs for the United Kingdom and for Ireland. The proposal still needs to clear the Council of the European Union before it can be…
Zambian Ambassador to Ethiopia Albert Muchanga has noted with concern the increasing number of Zambians being denied entry in Ethiopia due to lack of VISAs. Mr. Muchanga has since appealed to all Zambians travelling to Ethiopia to ensure that they obtain VISA documentation before departing Zambia. He said Zambians travelling…
The South African embassy in Nigeria has introduced N120, 000 as caution visa fees for visa applicants travelling to South Africa for the first time or applicants that the embassy suspect will not come back. The caution fee would be returned to visa applicant when he or she returns to…
Canadian passport holders will have to obtain visas prior to entering the UAE from January 2, 2011, the UAE Embassy in Ottawa announced on Tuesday. The Canadian diplomatic missions in the UAE have posted the new visa regulations for Canadian nationals on their websites. According to the website of the…
Taiwan’s latest visa-refusal rate has met the requirement of the United States for its Visa Waiver Program (VWP), but there is no timetable for Taiwan’s inclusion in the program due to various technical issues, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Thursday. Taiwan’s U.S. visa refusal rate for fiscal…
Passport authorities at King Abdulaziz International Airport Haj Terminal, Saudi Arabia have turned away 61 pilgrims so far because of discrepancies in their documents and fingerprint records, a senior official said on Tuesday. The General Directorate of Passports has installed state-of-the-art equipment to detect fraudulent Haj visas at the Haj…
The British government will create a new “entrepreneur visa” and reform its intellectual property laws to try to attract high-tech businesses. Cameron will set out plans to transform a stretch of East London into a high-tech hub to rival Silicon Valley, starting with new investments from the likes of Internet…
A drug-smuggling tunnel and approximately 30 tons of marijuana were discovered early Wednesday in the Otay Mesa section of San Diego, said officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. The officials said the tunnel, which contained much of the drugs, was roughly 600 yards…