sorry to ask again but i didnt really get a straight answer the last time i asked this question. Im a British Citizen and wish to have my friend come to visit me here in the UK for a holiday. I was just interested to know why some countries require for you to obtain a visa before you come here and some dont. what separates the countries that need them from those that dont? i would really apprecite someone who knows to take their time in explaining to me.
2007-03-22 21:12:10 · 14 answers · asked by Julliette 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Immigration
Asking tourist applicants to apply for visa first is a way to sift through people, and see if they do qualify to get a visa. Rules and regulations for qualification differ for each country. Governments do this to prevent people from staying indefinitely in your land, gaining illegal employment or just plain doing something bad (like terrorism.) They do this to lessen the numbers of illegal aliens.
For people that don't require visas, it means that your government has a lax policy towards their particular nationality/country. It means your government trusts the people of that certain country. Every government does some kind of evaluation on countries and its peoples, and they do consider some facts before they decide to give a certain country visa-free status or not. Usually, countries who get visa-free status are those countries that are wealthy.
In this age of terrorism and espionage, it has become more imperative to sift out visa-applicants.
2007-03-22 21:32:11 · answer #1 · answered by Dowland 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Generally, there are countries your country recognises as friendly, and their citizens are welcomed guests.
There are also countries recognized as unfriendly, or their citizens being unwanted guests (e.g. because they would flock your local work market and undertake illegal job, or burden your social welfare system, or they are pervceived as being dangerous, or probably criminal, or are not welcomed because of political reasons).
For the first kind, your government (I use the term "your government" in a generic way, 'cause that applies to most governments in the world) doesn't require a visa.
The other kind does require a visa. So, when a person from such a country applies for a visa, your government's officials can screen him / her and decide whether it makes sense to allow that person into your country, for how long, whether to allow him/her to work, or study, or as tourist only... Or simply tell him "We don't want you in our country." After all, the person may be known as a spy, or have bad criminal record, or something like that (for example, he spoke bad about your country, and you really don't want him around).
Often, but not always, visa requirement is enforced in both countries interested (if country A requires a visa from country B citizens, then country B repays the unkindness and requests country A citizens to have visas as well).
On the other hand, within the European Union there's no need for visas, and sometimes even passports are unnecessary (an ID card is enough), and within Shengen Zone of EU you can cross borders without being controlled at all...
2007-03-22 21:29:37 · answer #2 · answered by mat_wisniewski 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Prevent illegal immigration. UK is a target country, more than Italy or France (due language and communities) then, Home office must do an effort to keep illegals off country.
There are a list about countries which do not need a VISA, but people from these countries pass through quite tought filter while trying to get in.
Another countries which do not require a VISA and have no historical regarding massive illegal immigration like USA, its easier to get in...
2007-03-22 22:33:19 · answer #3 · answered by carlos_frohlich 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The visa requirement is imposed by the country the person is going to, not his/her home country. In your case, your friends are required by the UK govt. to get visas to come in. Citizens of which countries are required to apply for visa to enter the UK and why? You must ask your own government. The requirement varies depending on where the visitor is from. Two usual reasons for visas are security and the need to controll the length of stay.
2007-03-22 21:24:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Visas are required to so the country you are entering can keep track of it's citizens. It's to prevent illegal immigration. If the visa expires and the person hasn't left the country they know exactly who you are and where to find you, arrest you and deport you.
I don't get it either, why do we need immagration laws? Why can't people just live where ever they want?
2007-03-22 21:33:11 · answer #5 · answered by vampire_kitti 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the UK I don't know. In the US, the 'visa waiver countries' (like the UK), are those that have a low 'visa failure' rate, meaning overstayers and people denied due to background checks. Also, 'countries of interest' can be slower, but that is because they get a more in depth background review.
2007-03-23 02:38:37 · answer #6 · answered by DAR 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The reason that only some residents from other countries need visas is your country wants to make sure that those people are in fact only visiting and will return to their own country. They have to prove why they want to go there, and prove a good enough reason for them to return to their home country before your country will approve the visa. It is one way to keep illegal immigration down.
2007-03-22 21:17:05 · answer #7 · answered by fireguyjay01 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Basically anyone travelling within Europe i.e. French to England, English to France, Spain etc do not need a visa as they are part of the European network of countries. Others outside of that i.e. USA, Canada etc need a visa as permission to enter other countries. That's the best I can do, hope it helps.
2007-03-22 21:22:39 · answer #8 · answered by Denise W 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is more of a response to Josh's answer, as I'm not sure of all the details involved in obtaining a visa. Josh, your comment on those annoying people who don't speake (sic) English is absurd. It seems to me that you're having quite a bit of trouble with the English language yourself... Have you ever been to school?
2007-03-22 21:23:07 · answer #9 · answered by valhalla_747 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that UK requires the visa, the other countries do not.
2007-03-22 21:15:21 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋