Nomadic Lives Local, Experiential India Travel Blog
Are you looking to travel abroad in the coming months? If so, you’ll need to find a visa that ticks all the boxes for international travel. Not sure how to go about doing that? Here are five top visa tips for your next overseas adventure.
Assess what class of visa you need
There are a wealth of visa types available for you, with varying classes granting you different access rights and lengths of stay for your intended country. Some countries, such as the UK, operate on a tier system.
The standard ranking factor for the nations sees people separated into different categories according to their importance to the country:
- Tier 1 – Highly skilled category
- Tier 2 – Skilled worker category
- Tier 3 – Not implemented
- Tier 4 – Students
- Tier 5 – Temporary migrants
Where you fall into this ranking system will decide not only the class of visa you need, but also how likely you are to be granted it. If you are on an Indian passport, you can find detailed tips on a tourist visa in this other post I wrote a while ago [Read: Simple Guide for a UK Tourist Visa].
Watch out for fraud
Much like anything in life, there’s always going to be “bad guys” out there looking to take advantage of you. This usually comes in the form of third-party agents.
These people will lead you to believe they’re helping you and making the application process easier, but often end up taking your money and leaving you with a fake piece of documentation.
You are just as responsible for this as the person who conned you, and it could result in you:
- Being banned from re-applying for a visa for several years
- Loss of all of the money you paid to the third party
- Potential criminal prosecution and jail time
You might not have been the person who was at fault for this error, but the responsibility falls on you.
Research where you’re going
As we’ve already alluded to, there are very different rules and regulations when it comes to every country of the world. There are individual needs and requirements that have to be met – which means you’re going to have to do your research.
Don’t make blanket assumptions. Currently, 124 countries in the world require British citizens to have a valid visa when they travel. Each of these regions will have differing boxes which need to be ticked and hoops to be jumped through.
Know exactly what you’ll need to do long before you head out, or you may be in for a nasty shock when you’re refused entry.
Medical conditions and visas
If you’re travelling with a medical condition, things can be exceptionally tough. You’ll find stumbling blocks at every twist and turn. as the process becomes something of a headache.
You’ll be very pleased to hear when it comes to visas there’s absolutely no difference between getting a visa if you’re healthy or not, however. No matter what the condition, the application process always remains the same. You should still bear in mind this can take literally months on occasion.
After you get your visa
Once you’ve attained your shiny new visa, it’s time to check to make sure all of the information on it is up to date and correct. Check everything scrupulously, as errors in data could result in you being punished.
It’s also important not to breach the terms and conditions of the visa. This can be done in any of the following ways:
- Staying beyond the expiry date
- Performing an activity not permitted by the visa in a work environment
- If the circumstances of the visa change
- If you obtained your visa status fraudulently
