Page 14 - Visa

EAM Jaishankar discusses Ukraine conflict, visa issue with NZ counterpart

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday held "warm and productive" talks with his New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta during which the two leaders exchanged views on issues of international concerns such as the Indo-Pacific and the Ukraine conflict. It is Jaishankar's first visit to New Zealand as External Affairs Minister. "Warm and productive talks with New Zealand Foreign Minister @NanaiaMahuta this afternoon. Two societies, respectful of tradition and culture, are seeking to forge a more contemporary relationship," Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting. "Appreciated the exchange of views on (issues of) international concerns such as the Indo-Pacific and the Ukraine conflict. Value our working together in multilateral forums including the UN and Commonwealth," he said. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the resource-ric

New rule for UAE visa system comes into effect: Here's what changes

In a major revamp in the UAE's immigration laws, the Middle-eastern nation's new visa system came into effect on October 3

Industry prepared for potential disruptions as tokenisation nears

industry insiders say, the success rate of token-based transactions is higher, but inadequate testing of certain use-cases may result in some transactions not going through

Jaishankar flags US visa concerns; Blinken commits to build back on backlog

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured that the US is "building back" on the backlog of visa applications from Indian nationals and said the Biden administration has a plan that will play out

Samsung forays into finance, launches credit card with Axis Bank and Visa

Samsung Axis Bank Credit Card will allow customers to avail of a 10 per cent cashback across all Samsung products and services throughout the year

Canada starts clearing visa backlog, to process applications by 2022-end

Canadian immigration authorities have said they are hoping to clear the massive backlog of 2.7 million visa applications by the end of this year

What is the Henley Passport Index?

Every year, London-based immigration consultancy 'Henley & Partners' comes out with a ranking of 199 passports. It is called the Henley Passport Index. Find out about it in this segment

American Express India appoints Sanjay Khanna as chief executive officer

In his new role, Sanjay Khanna will be leading several business development initiatives for American Express, while steering collaboration across its diverse businesses in India

Pension funds pressure credit card companies to categorise gun sales

Payment processor Visa Inc said it plans to start separately categorizing sales at gun shops. It's a major win for gun control advocates who say it will help better track suspicious surges of gun sales that could be a prelude to a mass shooting. But gun rights advocates have argued that step would unfairly segregate legal gun sales when most sales do not lead to mass shootings. Visa late Saturday said it would adopt the International Organization for Standardization's new merchant code for gun sales, which was announced on Friday. Until Friday, gun store sales were considered general merchandise. Visa's adoption is significant as the largest payment network, and will likely add pressure for Mastercard and American Express to adopt the code as well. Gun control advocates had gotten significant wins on this front in recent weeks. New York City officials and pension funds had pressured the ISO and banks to adopt this code. Two of the country's largest public pension funds, in Califor

Russia considers retaliation against Ukraine's visa regime, says deputy FM

On July 1, Ukraine introduced a visa regime for Russian citizens following a decision by its government

EU foreign ministers to suspend visa facilitation agreement with Russia

Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU) member states have agreed to suspend a visa agreement with Moscow, making it harder for Russian citizens to obtain entry to the bloc

Indian students to the UK start getting priority and super priority visas

Under the Priority Visa service, the UK government decides on the student's visa application within five days. Under the Super Priority service, it is granted by the end of next working day

Sri Lanka introduces five-year multiple entry tourist visa scheme

In an effort to boost the tourism industry amid the economic crisis, the Sri Lankan govt on Tuesday said the island nation has extended its multiple-entry tourist visa to five years

EU ready to suspend 2007 visa agreement with Russia over Ukraine: Report

The Czech Republic, Finland and Estonia, after imposing their own visa restrictions, have pushed for an EU-wide decision and called for a total ban on Russian nationals travelling to the bloc

Indian industry welcomes UK's timely Scale-up Visa to attract professionals

Indian industry on Thursday welcomed the UK's new Scale-up Visa, which is aimed at attracting more skilled professionals from around the world, including India. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) said the UK Home Office announcement directed at high-growth businesses to access a worldwide talent pool to boost their scale-up ambitions are well timed and likely to benefit many Indian businesses and also help UK companies tap into the vast Indian talent pool. Companies, including small businesses and those in the tech and financial services sectors that have achieved growth of 20 per cent or more in either employment or turnover year-on-year for at least three years and employed a minimum of 10 people at the start of those three years are eligible to sponsor workers under the new route. In the last few years, India has seen a large number of rapidly growing businesses from tech and financial services expand into the UK, said FICCI Director General Arun .

China broadens visa availability after two years as pandemic concerns ease

China is easing its tight restrictions on visas after it largely suspended issuing them to foreign students and others more than two years ago at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The website of the Chinese Embassy in India said the updated procedures would take effect from Wednesday, without making a specific mention of vaccine requirements or proof of a negative test for the virus. China still requires those arriving from abroad be quarantined at a hotel or private home and proof of a negative test is required for entry to many public and commercial spaces. The easing of visa restrictions is significant for Indian students, especially those pursuing degrees in medicine that are far more affordable in China than in Western nations. For students who return to China to resume their studies: Certificate of Returning to Campus' issued by the university in China" is required, the Embassy said. The Chinese Embassy in Washington also posted a notice saying the new rules for students a

Canada visa: Processing delay may force 15% of students to defer admission

Thanks to unprecedented rise in applications processing time has increased from four weeks earlier to 12 weeks now

China announces plans to issue visas for stranded Indian students

China on Monday announced plans to issue visas to hundreds of Indian students stranded at home for over two years due to Beijing's strict COVID restrictions, besides various categories of travel permits for Indians including business visas. "Warmest congrats to #Indian #students! Your patience proves worthwhile. I can really share your excitement & happiness. Welcome back to #China!" Ji Rong, Counsellor, Department of Asian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China tweeted. Her tweet cited a detailed announcement by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi announcing the opening of visas for students, businessmen and families of those working in China. As per the announcement, X1-Visa, will be issued to students who intend to go to China to pursue long-term study for higher academic education, including newly-enrolled students and students who return to China to resume their studies. Over 23,000 Indian students, mostly studying medicine, are reportedly stuck back home due to COVID visa .

'Confident' first batch of Indian students will arrive soon: China

The Chinese side has been working intensively for the return of foreign students to China," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing

Students scramble across country in search of ideal visa appointment dates

Embassies cite spike in applications; delay in announcing board results also affects foreign study plans