Curry may be the national dish but the government are stopping the chefs who make the best from coming to the UK. The draconian points based system is now turning thousands away and making many ineligible to stay. The UK Borders Police are using their increasing powers to raid and round up more people – including chefs, their families and ‘ethnic’ diners in restaurants. On the streets of East London, the public and restaurant managers are disgusted and WORLDwrite demands we let everyone in.Curry may be the national dish but the government are stopping the chefs who make the... more
Travelers coming to US under the Visa Waiver Program now risk being detained at airports and sent home if they don't comply with a new set of immigration rules. The 27 countries under the program include most of Western Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. Under the new system, travelers will have to register their details online at least three days before their departure.Travelers coming to US under the Visa Waiver Program now risk being detained at... more
Basically we're now outsourcing positions within the military, and offering citizenship as compensation:
Struggling to find enough doctors, nurses and linguists for the war effort, the Pentagon will temporarily recruit foreigners who have been living in the states on student and work visas, or with refugee or political asylum status.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has authorized the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps to recruit certain legal residents whose critical medical and language skills are "vital to the national interest" officials said, using for the first time a law passed three years ago.Basically we're now outsourcing positions within the military, and offering... more
The corrupt government of Dictator Robert Mugbe and his military forces has persecuted, raped, murdered, threatened, tourted, and beaten to near death. The SADC (South African Development Community has been support Mugbe and his Warlords for decades, and they continue to support him, many other organizations in Africa support him. This is crazy, the Zimbabwean people are suffering, dying, getting killed, tourted, raped, and other unimaginable things, just because of Political injustices, and the corrupt government of Dictator Robert Mugbe and his political influence, All African Governments need to Unite and Become a stronger groups of people, their whole continent needs help. They were denied because they want nothing to do with the West (America).The corrupt government of Dictator Robert Mugbe and his military forces has... more
An estimated 300,000 visas giving foreigners the right to come to Britain may have been wrongly approved every year, a committee of MPs has been told.
Linda Costelloe-Baker, the independent visa monitor, told the Home Affairs Committee it was "reasonable" to assume 15% of short-term approvals were wrong.
She also said officials were "under pressure" to issue - rather than reject - visas to meet productivity targets.
The Tories said it made a "mockery" of Labour's claims to control immigration.
Embassies and consulates examine 2.4 million applications each year from tourists, business people and those visiting relatives - they check applicants intend to leave after their visa expires and have enough money to live in the country and are not looking for a job, Ms Costelloe-Baker told the committee.An estimated 300,000 visas giving foreigners the right to come to Britain may have... more
Winnie Sseruma was invited to speak about being HIV-positive at the United Nations in New York last June. While preparing for her trip, Winnie found out the US was one of 70 countries with a ban or restriction on inbound travel for people with HIV. Winnie, who lives in the UK, managed to get a visa on time, but was detained twice in the airport for furhter questioning. "It was so humiliating," Sseruma said. "The immigration officers were asking me very personal questions about my health." The US has since passed an amendment to the ban, but for now it is still in place.
Countries with HIV travel bans
Armenia
Brunei
Colombia
Fiji
Iraq
Libya
Moldova
Russia
Saudi Arabia
South Korea
SudanWinnie Sseruma was invited to speak about being HIV-positive at the United Nations in... more
Seven years after 9/11, the supposed mastermind behind the attacks is still at large, and the nation is entrenched in multiple wars in the Middle East. Is Bin Laden the evil behind the attack or a mere front man in a larger picture, a Bogeyman? Fabled Enemies is unlike any 9/11documentary ever put together. Rather than focusing on the physical anomalies at the World Trade Center and Pentagon, this film follows the intelligence ties of Osama Bin Laden, the alleged hijackers, and those who were actually detained on 9/11. The movie delves deeply into the roles of seperate Nations that were involved in supporting the 9/11 attacks. From Israel to Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, and even the United States itself, no one is spared in this scathing expose that pulls no punches. Sit back and get ready to learn how members of the FBI had their investigations into Bin Laden obstructed and shut down, how the hijackers were trained at US bases, that military drills crippled our defense and facilitated the attacks, how the Shadow Government was actually activated that day, and much much more.Seven years after 9/11, the supposed mastermind behind the attacks is still at large,... more
US officials say Europeans and others who travel visa-free to the United States must start registering their trips electronically as part of a new online security screening process which takes effect Jan. 12, 2009.
Jackie Bednarz, of the US Department of Homeland Security, says the new security measure replaces current paper forms that visitors from the 27 countries participating in the US visa waiver program fill out when entering at airports and seaports.US officials say Europeans and others who travel visa-free to the United States must... more
Hawaii tourism officials rejoiced upon hearing President Bush has decided to lift visa requirements for South Korean tourists.
Friday's decision means South Koreans - like Japanese, Brits and citizens of other prosperous U.S. allies - will no longer have to go through the hassle of obtaining visas before they travel to the U.S. for short-term visits.
"This is a good day," said Marsha Wienert, the state's tourism liaison, adding Gov. Linda Lingle was "ecstatic."
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia will also be added to the U.S. visa waiver program in about a month, President Bush announced at a ceremony in the Rose Garden on Friday.
But it was South Korea that had tourism officials in Hawaii celebrating. Wienert expects the number of tourists from South Korean to double to 80,000 next year and double again to 160,000 in 2010.
This is welcome news for the industry during a year marked by the back-to-back collapse of ATA and Aloha airlines and a subsequent plunge in visitor arrivals. The global financial crisis and economic slowdown have also weighed on the industry.
Oahu is likely to benefit the most from the rule change, at least in the first few years, Wienert said.
But she expects more South Korean visitors to visit the Neighbor Islands they become more accustomed to Hawaii.
Of the 40,000 who visited last year, the vast majority came to Oahu. About a third also made short side trips to Maui.
Frank Haas, interim assistant dean of the University of Hawaii's School of Travel Industry Management, said the key factors influencing the flow of South Koreans will be the economy and the number of airplane seats.
Korean Air currently flies nonstop from Seoul to Honolulu, and has shown interest in expanding its Hawaii service, Haas said. Other airlines may join Korean Air if there's enough demand.
South Korean tourists will not make up for the decline in visitors from Japan and the U.S. West Coast, however.Hawaii tourism officials rejoiced upon hearing President Bush has decided to lift visa... more
Canada places so few restrictions on foreign students and the schools that attract them that it has left the student-visa system open to widespread abuse and fraud, according to an internal government review obtained by The Vancouver Sun. Canada places so few restrictions on foreign students and the schools that attract... more
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Citing security concerns, the U.S. State Department has revoked the visas it recently issued to three Gaza students who were awarded Fulbright scholarships to study in the United States.
Sari Bashi, who advocates freedom of movement for Palestinians, says their access to education is restricted.
It marks the second time in two months that the United States has gone back on its offer to the Palestinian students to take part in the American government-sponsored scholarship program.
The three students who had their visas revoked were sent a letter from the American Consulate in Jerusalem, dated August 4.
"The Department of State has revoked your nonimmigrant visa" because "information has come to light that you may be inadmissible to the United States and ineligible to receive a visa under Section 212 (A) (3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which prohibits issuance of a visa to aliens for security and related grounds," the letter said.
The letter did not elaborate on what the security concerns were. A State Department official told CNN that the agency could not disclose any information about the reason for the visa revocation, but that the students would be allowed to reapply for a visa at some point in the future.
The three students are among seven Gaza-based Fulbright scholars who made headlines when in May the State Department sent them e-mail notifications saying their scholarships could not be completed because the Israeli government would not issue them exit visas from Gaza.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack admitted that the U.S. authorities had not taken up the matter with Israel until after the matter became public. The scholarships were only reinstated after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed her unhappiness with the situation and the State Department spokesman admitted that a "faulty decision-making process" led to the communication.JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Citing security concerns, the U.S. State Department has revoked the... more
About 3,000 blank passports and visas have been stolen while being transported from Manchester to London. The documents were in a van which was targeted on Monday morning.
The Foreign Office admitted a severe breach of security over the loss of the passports and visa stickers, which were being sent to embassies overseas. According to the passport service, however, the stolen documents could not be sold by thieves on the black market because of their hi-tech embedded chip security features. About 3,000 blank passports and visas have been stolen while being transported from... more
One stop for all UK visas. Free assessment and expert advice.
Very informative news for those who need UK and US student visas.One stop for all UK visas. Free assessment and expert advice.
Very informative... more
US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said visitors to the US who do not need visas will be required to register with the government online.
The security regulation, set to begin next year, will require visitors to register three days before they visit.
The online registration will remain valid for a two-year period, Chertoff said.
He said the changes - which will affect citizens of the 27 countries currently listed under the US visa waiver programme - will allow the US to screen visitors before they travel.
'That information includes passport number, country of residence, and any involvement in terror activities.' US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said visitors to the US who do not... more
Western aid experts in Bangkok will reportedly have to wait at least another 4 days to be able to get into Burma with their aid, because the Burmese embassy in Bangkok has closed for a local holiday!
Apparently none of the urgent visas will be processed until Monday or Tuesday, something that the UN WFP aren't best pleased about:
"This is too long to wait for people whose lives are at such a precarious balance."
I honestly can't believe this.
Western aid experts in Bangkok will reportedly have... more
While a lot is happening over here (Tibet talks, HMFD outbreak is rising, et al), the only thing is, once again, another new visa restriction, which will end up forcing a good number of the foreign population here our of their homes...While a lot is happening over here (Tibet talks, HMFD outbreak is rising, et al), the... more
Aric's magazine column on how the removal of the F visa is another step in destroying the creative platform that was Shanghai.Aric's magazine column on how the removal of the F visa is another step in destroying... more
The Department of Homeland Security, citing an "emergency clause" has circumvented congressional oversight to allow U.S. businesses to hire more foreign workers. Specifically, students who have attended American schools for 29 months can now be hired in the U.S. without first obtaining an H-1B visa, the visa usually needed for highly-skilled workers, such as computer programmers and supermodels.The Department of Homeland Security, citing an "emergency clause" has circumvented... more
"The US administration is pressing the 27 governments of the European Union to sign up for a range of new security measures for transatlantic travel," - Guardian"The US administration is pressing the 27 governments of the European Union to sign up... more
