The Southern Island province of Hainan is now the most accessible Island in China, thanks to new regulations introduced by the Chinese government. The newly introduced visa exemptions, will grant passport holders from 27 countries including Australia and New Zealand unparalleled access to Hainan. The first exemption is a ‘Free…
Immigration Lawyer Blog
New Zealand to open second Visa Facilitation Office in India
According to a New Zealand consulate general official, NZ is currently experiencing good growth in tourist numbers from India. The rise in Indian tourists is expected to be between 10 to 15 per cent by 2011. India is currently the tenth largest source market for NZ. As a direct effect…
Ukraine approves visa-free regime with Israel
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved an agreement with the government of Israel on waiver of visa requirements for persons using the passport of citizen or official passports of Ukraine and Israel. Thus, this intergovernmental agreement, signed on July 21, took effect in Ukraine. The instrument stipulates that…
Russia-Norway Deal on visa-freedom to be signed in November
The Norwegian-Russian agreement on visa-free travel for people living in the border area will be signed when Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visits Oslo on November 2nd. Speaking at the joint press-conferance with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in Murmansk today, Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that the deal will be…
Canadian Immigration Minister visit to include India, China and Philippines
Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is currently on a visit to various Countries in the World. Immigration Minister Kenney will be visiting Paris, New Delhi, Chandigarh, Hong Kong, Beijing and Manila. The Immigration Minister will be trying to reduce immigration fraud. There have been concerns about marriages of convenience and…
Britain doles out most passports in EU
Britain is handing out passports to more foreign nationals than any other EU country. In one year, the number of citizenship applications rubber-stamped by the last government was almost a quarter of those issued across all 27 EU member states. From 2002 to 2008, the latest period for which full…
UAE to open embassy in Azerbaijan
The UAE plans to open an embassy in Azerbaijan this year. The UAE is the first country that recognized Azerbaijan’s independence in 1991. Diplomatic ties between the two countries were established in 1992. Azerbaijan opened an embassy in Abu Dhabi in 2001 and a consulate in Dubai in 2006.
Ghana Ministry To Open More Passport Application Centres
Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, Minister of Foreign Affairs, answering questions during his turn at the meet-the-press series at the Ministry of Information in Accra. Three new Passport Application Centres (PACs) are to be inaugurated by the close of this month to help ease the congestion and rush at the PAC and…
Immigration New Zealand’s Response to the Canterbury Earthquake
As part of its response to the Canterbury earthquake, Immigration New Zealand is working closely with other Government agencies to identify occupations where skill shortages may occur, for example, in the infrastructure or construction sectors to ensure that where an immigration response is required we are able to respond in…
US Imposed New Tourist Tax On Travelers From Visa-Waiver Countries
From Sept. 8, travelers flying to the US which do not requires visas will be required to pay a $14 “operational and travel promotion.” According to US Customs and Border Protection website, people from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries must pay when applying for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization…