Latest news with #eVisas
Economic Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Vietnam proposes ‘golden visa' program; welcoming global talent to boost tourism and investment sectors
Vietnam has proposed a 10-year golden visa program aimed at boosting its tourism and investment sectors. The initiative seeks to attract long-term tourists, investors, and foreign professionals, particularly from India, to enhance the country's economic growth and regional competitiveness, according to a report by The Times of India. The golden visa is part of Vietnam's broader strategy to transform from a short-term tourist destination to a center for sustainable travel and international collaboration. By offering long-term, renewable residency to individuals who contribute to the country's tourism, innovation, or economy, Vietnam aims to foster closer cultural and economic ties with global talent and capital. The proposal includes investor and talent visas with long-term residency prospects. The investor visa would grant a 10-year resident visa to those who invest in Vietnam, with the potential for permanent residency after five years, provided the investment is maintained. The talent visa, intended for highly qualified workers in important growth industries, would offer a simplified renewal procedure to promote long-term employment and retention. The program is expected to be piloted in major economic hubs and tourist hotspots such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, and Phu Quoc. These locations are known for their safety, affordability, and availability of international schools, hospitals, and housing options, making them attractive to foreign residents. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) Vietnam's digital-friendly visa process, which already includes eVisas for tourism and short-term business, is expected to extend to the golden visa program. This approach aims to streamline application procedures and make the process more efficient for applicants. The golden visa initiative aligns with Vietnam's goal of becoming a competitive regional hub for investment and talent, offering a blend of traditional charm and modern comforts to those seeking long-term residency. (With inputs from TOI)
India.com
23-04-2025
- India.com
These Passport Mistakes Could Ruin Your 2025 Travel Plans – Here's How to Avoid Them
Traveling abroad in 2025 sounds exciting with new destinations reopening and more people eager to explore the world But nothing can throw your plans off more than an issue with your passport Many travelers overlook simple but critical passport rules and that can lead to denied boarding missed flights or even being turned away at immigration. Here's a look at the most common passport mistakes people make and how to avoid them so you can enjoy a smooth stress free trip in 2025. 1. Not Checking the Expiry Date in Advance This is the number one mistake travelers make Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months beyond your planned return date If your passport expires in that window you could be denied entry even if you hold a valid visa. What to do Check your passport's expiration date at least six months before your trip and renew it early if it's within that risk period Some countries also require three blank pages so check that too. 2. Ignoring Passport Processing Times 2025 could well have longer passport processing times due to high demand. If you want your traveler to benefit from expedited application, except travelers must apply for a new or renewal passport at least 10-12 weeks before travel. In case of emergency, fast service is suggested and make sure everything is in proper form. 3. Damaged or Worn Out Passports A torn page or water damage may seem minor but many immigration officers won't accept passports that look tampered with or damaged Some countries are strict about this and it could lead to being denied entry. What to do Keep your passport in a secure holder and replace it if it's significantly worn out even if it's still valid. 4. Not Updating Personal Information If your name has changed due to marriage divorce or legal reasons you'll need to update your passport accordingly Some people forget to make these changes and end up with mismatched documents which can lead to trouble at check in or immigration. What to do Make sure your airline tickets and visa applications match your passport exactly If your name or gender has changed update your passport as soon as possible. 5. Forgetting to Check Visa Requirements Even with a valid passport you can't travel freely everywhere Some destinations require visas and if you arrive without one you'll likely be denied entry. What to do Research visa requirements for every country on your itinerary Many places also offer eVisas which can be processed online but you'll need your passport information to match exactly. 6. Not Carrying Backup Copies Losing your passport while traveling is a nightmare and can disrupt your entire trip Some travelers don't carry backup copies or store them digitally which slows down the process of getting help. What to do Keep a paper copy of your passport in your luggage and a digital scan in your email or cloud storage This helps if you lose your original passport. 7. Using a Passport That Doesn't Match Your Travel Plans Some dual citizens have more than one passport but forget to use the right one for visa or entry purposes Others use passports that don't align with their flight bookings. What to do Always book flights and visas with the same passport you intend to use for travel If you're unsure consult your airline or a travel expert. Final Thoughts Your passport is your most important travel document and one small mistake can cancel months of planning By double checking expiration dates updating personal information and keeping your passport in good condition you can avoid the most common passport issues in 2025. Plan ahead stay organized and you'll be well on your way to exploring the world without any passport drama.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
How to spot a fake eVisa website when booking your holiday
Online eVisa fraud is rife, with many scammers capitalising on the influx of pre-travel requirements for destinations around the world. Copycat websites pose as official websites for eVisas or electronic travel authorisations, with the perpetrators stealing money, data and offering ridiculously inflated prices to process eVisa applications. According to researchers at DNS Research Federation, Britons are now 10 times more likely to get scammed online than burgled, and around 11% of people have reported being scammed online. And, as holidays approach, thousands of Brits face being tricked by eVisa scams. For example, authorities have flagged around 150 fake India eVisa sites this season, including the bogus and among others. Some of these are still operational and still scamming travellers on a daily basis. It's important to be aware that the only official eVisa website for India is: Police may not have the jurisdiction to shut down or even investigate fake eVisa sites, which means it's important to stop and consider if a site is fraudulent before sharing your details. Follow these tips to protect yourself against fake eVisa fraud this travel season, and for what to do if you are scammed. Many countries now require eVisas and electronic travel authorisations, which are applied for prior to travel to help shorten immigration processes on arrival. These authorisations may have various acronyms (ESTA, ETIAS etc) depending on where you are travelling, but all require you to input your personal data for pre-clearance/a pre-visit check before you enter a country. You may still be questioned about your stay when you arrive at border control, but by inputting data yourself pre-travel it reduces admin for immigration staff at your destination. Travellers are usually charged a fee for eVisas and electronic travel authorisations (although some are free, for example to the Maldives or Seychelles). Travelling to the United States for tourism requires an ESTA, in Australia an eVisitor is required, and an eVisa is required for countries including India. From 2026, those travelling to 30 European countries will require an ETIAS pre-travel authorisation. This is a lot trickier than it sounds, as in theory anyone can copy an official website - often to a very high standard. Sites offering to process eVisas can simply steal your personal data and money or charge hundreds of pounds more than the cost of the eVisa itself. Hundreds of people are getting scammed by these rip-off sites each day. Many of the scam websites are almost exact replicas of official sites, or have official-looking crests or country flags on their homepages. Unfortunately, many of them are among the first websites that appear under search results for eVisas for particular countries. One easy way to identify if a website is safe is to look for " and the padlock icon in the URL. If it doesn't have this on a payment page, never enter your personal information. While it may take a little longer, try to navigate via an official embassy or consulate website - which will direct you to a legitimate eVisa processing site. Embassy and consulate websites typically end with a country's officially assigned country code. For the UK it's ".uk", for Denmark it's ".dk", for Thailand it's ".th", and so on. If there's no country code, scroll to check for an "about" page. Most "processing" sites will not affiliate themselves with the government of a country. Look for a "contact us" section - if there isn't one, this should raise alarm bells. Also, click through the webpages on the site - very simple websites with only a few pages are likely not official visa sites. Look for grammatical errors, although these may crop up on some country sites, such as China's. Check the price of the visa - if it seems expensive it probably has an unnecessary processing charge added to it by a third party. Currently, as of 2025, the most expensive travel visa for UK tourists is £207 for Guinea-Bissau, followed by £185 for Iran, £151 for China, while India is currently the sixth most expensive at £127. If a site is guaranteeing a visa even though you don't meet a country's requirements, it's likely a scam. Some countries do list the fake eVisa websites they are aware of on their consulate, embassy and high commission websites. Before purchasing, check if there is a refund policy, or a follow-up contact number in case your visa does not arrive. Use a credit card - your credit card company will often insure against fraudulent transactions and refund lost money. It's also worth checking whether your travel insurance compensates for transactions made on fraudulent travel sites. In the first instance, ask for a refund from the site. Sometimes profitable "eVisa processing" sites will refund to avoid an investigation. Contact your credit card company or bank account if you've been scammed. If no refund is offered, report the scam to the National Cyber Security Centre or Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via If you live in Scotland, report it to Police Scotland directly by calling 101.
Gulf Today
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
UK's eVisa rollout dogged by glitches, threatening rights
Beatrice Tridimas, Reuters Britain has failed to resolve years-old issues with its eVisa system ahead of the phase-out of physical immigration documents, jeopardising the rights of around 4 million people living legally in Britain, rights groups say. Hundreds of people have struggled to access new electronic records of their immigration status, making it hard to apply for welfare payments and prove their right to work or rent property. Electronic records of immigration status were introduced in 2019 for European Union citizens applying for settlement in Britain after the vote to leave the bloc. Now eVisas are being rolled out for non-EU migrants and refugees as part of a switch to an online-only system for verifying one's status. But data mix-ups, problems creating accounts and entire system outages have bedevilled the scheme. 'We've seen how the system fails (and are) warning the government that this is a flawed implementation,' said Andreea Dumitrache, the head of the3million, a grassroots group for EU citizens that supports those trying to switch to eVisas. 'A person's whole life is impacted and, especially for the most vulnerable, it's the difference between putting a roof over someone's head or not,' said Dumitrache. The government has said the online-only system, which it describes as 'tried and tested', will increase the immigration system's security and efficiency. In a glitch in March, the3million said some people found the wrong identity documents were attached to their UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account, where digital visas are accessed to help people prove their status to landlords, employers and government departments. The switch to eVisas was due to be completed at the end of 2024, but the Labour government extended the deadline to March 31, saying the previous Conservative administration had not managed all the risks. It has since pushed the date to June 1. Jorge Gomez was granted asylum in 2022 after fleeing Nicaragua where he was persecuted for being a journalist. He switched to an eVisa last November, but was unable to link his travel document, which is issued to refugees instead of a passport, to his UKVI account. 'I'm young, and I love technology, but it is actually very overwhelming creating an account and linking up your document,' he said. 'It's not easy. It's not intuitive either.' Rights groups said the final transition period to online immigration status has been rushed and poorly planned and no major changes have been made to the system despite the same technical glitches occurring since its inception. The government did not prepare for the 'infinite' variety of immigration needs, said Bethan Lant, principal immigration advisor at migrant charity Praxis. For example, there was no guidance for people who are waiting for their status to be renewed or for victims of domestic violence applying for permission to remain separately from their partner. Some people in these groups were unable to set up an eVisa or were shown an error message when they tried to access it. Neither the current government nor its predecessor has disclosed assessments of the impact on data protection or equality, failing to respond to multiple freedom of information requests submitted by nongovernmental organisations for access to such assessments. In December, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who oversees immigration policy, said the government was extending the eVisa rollout period to assess risks and would apply a 'Windrush test,' a reference to a 2018 immigration scandal. In that case, thousands of people from Caribbean nations who lived legally in Britain for decades were unable to prove their right to stay because the government had not kept records of their arrival. Dozens of people were wrongly deported. The eVisa transition will be different to Windrush because everyone requiring an eVisa should have proof of their status in a letter or email, the government has said. The government promised to compensate people for losses stemming from the Windrush scandal. But there is no government liability for losses relating to eVisas, according to the terms and conditions of the UKVI system. 'They have learned from Windrush. They've learned to try and get rid of their responsibility,' said Lant. The3million has met with the Home Office seven times since December 2023 to raise issues with the technical functioning of eVisas. It has the Home Office to publish a detailed troubleshooting guide, explaining the various problems that exist and how best to resolve them. The Home Office has a Resolution Centre to provide support to people with issues accessing their eVisa and a helpline specifically for people seeking IT support. It also provided 4 million pounds ($5.18 million) to NGOs across the UK to help vulnerable and sick people set up their eVisas and UKVI accounts. But Dumitrache said the funding was inadequate and failed to consider that many people need help after setting up an account. The3million are calling for offline alternatives, but the government rejected a proposal to make proof of status accessible via an app, physical card or passport sticker. Gomez agrees that people need somewhere to turn when the tech does not work. 'It's important to have a physical document because if anything happens - for example, you lose your phone when you go abroad or it runs out of battery, or you don't have any data - how can you prove your status in the UK?' he said.
The Independent
09-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Housing worker blocked from seeing family abroad due to eVisa issues
A community worker was left unable to prove his refugee status or travel to see his family due to eVisa problems in the latest in a string of issues facing foreign nationals. Jorge Gomez, 29, has had the right to live and work in the UK since December 2022, when he was granted refugee status on the grounds he experienced political persecution in his home country of Nicaragua. He applied for an eVisa at the beginning of November last year after the Home Office told millions of foreign nationals in the UK to move to a digital immigration system before 31 December 2024. However, despite applying three times, he was left waiting for an eVisa for months, with the delay ending his plans to see his family abroad in January. His eVisa problems were finally fixed, only after The Independent contacted the Home Office. Mr Gomez, who lives in Chesham in Buckinghamshire, said: 'I've applied for the eVisa three times. I've tried to create an account, tried to link it up, and it doesn't work. 'I got an email from the Home Office, saying it was sorted, but in reality it wasn't. I got another email saying IT is working on your eVisa. But we are already in February and this is still not working.' Emails show that Mr Gomez's case was referred to the Home Office's technical support team on 31 December 2024. He was then told 'not to make any travel arrangements until you have received confirmation your eVisa has been corrected'. Mr Gomez, who supports people struggling with housing issues, had been planning a trip in early January to central America to see his siblings, mother and grandmother. He is unable to return to Nicaragua, so had been hoping to see them in nearby El Salvador or Costa Rica. He said: 'I haven't seen my mum or siblings in seven years. I started applying for my eVisa early last year because I wanted to get it done so I could go and see my family. I was looking forward to it and it has been a rollercoaster of emotions. 'That whole journey is gone now.' This is not the first time that Mr Gomez has encountered problems with the Home Office. He spent around 15 months from 2023 to 2024 unable to generate a share code, which is needed to prove immigration status to landlords or employers. 'I would say I made over 100 calls to the Home Office trying to sort it out,' he said. A couple of hours after The Guardian wrote about his situation, his share code was fixed, Mr Gomez said. Referring to the latest issue, he said: 'It is literally deja vu with the eVisa.' The Independent has been documenting problems facing foreign nationals after the rollout of electronic visas. Some travellers have reported difficulty boarding UK-bound flights and some refugees have been left without any way to prove their immigration status. While Mr Gomez is fortunate that his employer knows he has the right to live and work in the UK, many new refugees who are waiting on eVisas have been left unable to open bank accounts or access housing. Andreea Dumitrache, chief executive at citizens rights group The3million, said: 'It's disgraceful how Jorge's eVisa was broken for a second time, pushing him into insecurity, waiting for months on end, unable to even make plans to visit his family who he's not seen for so many years. 'We've received hundreds of reports of countless eVisa errors in the last few months alone.' She added that the system was 'inherently flawed and authoritarian, denying people their personal freedom and rights, pushing migrants into destitution, taking away job opportunities and causing travel chaos'. She added: 'We urge ministers to reconsider and prevent further harm by providing people with a physical back-up of their eVisa, safeguarding against a scandal on the same scale as Windrush.' A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are listening carefully to people's concerns and ensuring that anyone who is having trouble accessing their eVisa is supported. 'eVisas bring significant benefits. They cannot be lost, stolen, or tampered with, unlike a physical document, and also increase the UK immigration system's security and efficiency."
