You must know these issues about visas

In the new year’s study abroad application season, everyone begins to receive offers one after another. Passport and visa application have become the top priority in the next thing. Many students have questions about visa application. Today at Jinghua, I will give you some common knowledge about passports and visas. Hurry and save it!

1. Passport

A passport is a document issued by a country to prove the nationality and identity of a citizen when he or she enters or exits the country, travels or resides abroad. legal documents. The word passport means port pass in English. In other words, a passport is a form of identification that allows citizens to travel through international ports in various countries. Therefore, some countries in the world usually issue pass documents in lieu of passports.

2. Visa (Visa)

A visa is an endorsement or stamp by a country’s sovereign authority on the passport or other travel documents held by its own or foreign citizens to express permission. The procedures for entering and exiting the country or passing through the country can also be said to be an endorsement-type certificate issued to them. In summary, a visa is a document issued by a country's entry-exit management agency (such as the Immigration Bureau or its embassy or consulate abroad) to express approval for entry to foreign citizens.

It is worth noting:

When the passport expires but the visa does not expire, some countries stipulate that the unexpired visa is still valid and only the old and new passports need to be used together; some countries require a visa The transfer procedure is to transfer the existing unexpired visa to the new passport.

In addition, some countries will determine the validity period of the visa based on the remaining validity period of the applicant's passport. For example, when the remaining validity period of the passport is 3 years, when applying for a 10-year tourist visa, you can only obtain a 3-year visa. Therefore, when applying for a visa, it is recommended to first understand the relevant specific regulations, and then consider whether you need to get a new passport first.

1. According to the type of passport held, visas can generally be divided into diplomatic visas, official visas and ordinary visas.

That is, holders of diplomatic passports will be issued a diplomatic visa, holders of official passports will be issued a service visa, and holders of ordinary passports will be issued an ordinary visa.

2. According to the purpose of entry and exit, visas can generally be divided into immigrant visas (permanent resident visas) and non-immigrant visas.

Non-immigrant visas include study visas, tourist visas, work visas, business visas, etc.

3. According to the number of times the visa is valid, visas can generally be divided into single-valid visas and multiple-valid visas.

The number of times a visa is valid refers to the number of entries the holder can use within the validity period of the visa. A single-valid visa becomes invalid after being used once, while a multiple-valid visa can be used for multiple entries. Of course, it depends on what kind of visa is issued and how long it is valid.

Each country has various permissions for the visas it issues.

If you hold a study visa from a certain country, after entering the country, you can only study and study mainly and cannot work; or you can work, but there are restrictions on the place and time of work.

If you hold an accompanying visa, you are not allowed to participate in longer training courses after entering the country. Therefore, if you have other needs, you can apply for another visa of the corresponding category.

If the activities you engage in after entering the country are inconsistent with the nature of the visa you applied for, even within the validity period of the visa, it will still be a violation of the visa regulations, which may result in being asked to leave the country, and it will also have consequences for applying for a visa again in the future. negative impact. The length and number of valid times shall be determined by the visa authority based on the specific circumstances of the applicant.

Whether you need to apply for a visa or not depends on the regulations of each destination country. Therefore, it is recommended to understand and determine in advance whether the destination country requires a visa. If it is not visa-free or a visa on arrival, it is generally required.

Whether you need to return to your home country to apply for the application, where to apply for it, the materials required for application, etc., you can learn about it on the official website of the embassy of the destination country (in most cases, you can apply for it in the country where you are studying). If you are studying in the UK and want to visit Australia, you should check the specific regulations and requirements on the official website of the Australian Embassy in the UK.

Schengen visa refers to a unified format of visa issued to short-term visitors by countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement. Once the applicant obtains a visa for a Schengen country (regardless of whether single entry or other multiple entry options are checked when applying), he or she can enter and exit the country within the validity period of the visa and within the time allowed to stay. All Schengen countries.

Although you can enter and exit any Schengen country with a Schengen visa, when submitting your application, you should submit your application to the embassy of your main country of stay (that is, which country you have stayed in for the longest time, you should submit your application to the embassy of that country). Submit your application to the consulate). If the length of stay in several countries is similar, you can submit an application to the embassy or consulate of the first country of entry.

After the visa is issued, you can actually change your itinerary, but you must at least ensure that you are going to the main country of entry or the first country of entry (that is, the country where you submitted your visa application). As long as there are minor changes, such as changes to air tickets and hotel reservations, there is no major problem and there is no need to report to the embassy or consulate.

In addition, international students who want to study in Schengen Agreement countries need to register their residence at the local agency in charge of foreign citizens’ residence within the specified period after arriving in the destination country. With this residence registration, you can travel to all other Schengen countries without having to apply for a Schengen visa again.