RELO NEWS
Applicants for several categories of Indian visas in London will have to attend a mandatory biometrics appointment on or after August 19, 2016, with a few limited exceptions, according to an announcement by the High Commission of India.
Applicants for the below categories will be subject to a personal appearance:
A new law consolidates the Schengen Borders Code, which regulates the entry conditions and border controls of the Schengen area. The law will be implemented within the next 20 days.
The law consolidates at least the following points of the Schengen border rules:
Third-country nationals who are found to be non-compliant with the above rules may face entry issues.
Starting April 1, 2016, all eligible Visa Waiver Program (VWP) travellers, including infants and children, must present an e-Passport – a passport that contains an electronic chip and is machine-readable – when entering the United States. The requirement is one of a range of enhanced VWP security measures that were enacted in December 2015.
Effective March 1, 2016, Japanese tourists, business visitors, conference attendees and medical visitors who are unable to apply for a regular visa or electronic visa will be eligible for a non-extendable 30-day single-entry visa-on-arrival. The visa-on-arrival allows two visits per calendar year.
The visa-on-arrival can be used in addition to the e-Tourist Visa (e-TV), which also allows two visits per calendar year in its own capacity.
The Home Office has announced the expansion of the Registered Traveller service to eligible foreign nationals from Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Additionally, Registered Traveller members will be able to use ePassport Gates and EU/UK lanes at Bristol and Cardiff Airports in the coming months.
The Registered Traveller service was introduced in April 2015 to travellers from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States who hold a UK visa or have visited the United Kingdom at least four times in the previous two years.
Applications are submitted online and once accepted, travellers with biometric passports can use ePassport Gates and EU/UK lanes at Eurostar terminals at Paris, Brussels and Lille and the following airports
The FY 2016 appropriations legislation enacted last week contains significant revisions to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The new law (1) prohibits citizens of VWP member countries from entering under the program – i.e., visa-free – if they have visited or have dual nationality with certain countries of concern; and (2) imposes more stringent passport requirements on VWP travellers.
Though several key provisions of the new law took effect when the law was passed on December 18, the Departments of Homeland Security and State have not yet provided guidance on how they will be implemented. Therefore, many questions about the impact of the new law – particularly the travel restrictions – remain unanswered for now.
The following are Fragomen’s preliminary responses to frequently asked questions about the new VWP passport requirements, travel restrictions and the potential impact of the new law on U.S. citizens travelling to VWP partner countries. These FAQs will be updated as the government provides more clarity about the revised rules.
