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The first UK Visa Facilitation Service has been opened in Africa on 6 April 2005. The application center is located in North Labone, Ghana, and will be both a visa application center and information centre for visa applicants.
A second VFS Centre will be opened in Kumasi, Ghana on 12 April 2005. Both Centres will accept applications and distribute decisions, have telephone, e-mail and personal caller enquiry services.
The Home Office announced a number of changes to Immigration Rules and Policy.
As of 5 April 2005, China and the UK have approved a special Approved Destination Status (ADS) agreement, allowing Chinese visitors to apply for tourists visas to the UK. The granting of ADS will allow China's population of 1.3 billion to go through selected travel agents and benefit from simplified procedures so they can use ordinary passports and tourist visas for entry to the UK. Previously, Chinese visitors to this country need to be studying or have business to conduct in the UK.
The United States has offered permanent residence to immigrant investors for 15 years, but to date just 6,000 such visas have been issued. Permanent residence has been granted to just 650 investors.
Asians (83%) most often use the opportunity, but it seems that many others are put off by bureaucracy, long waits and rigorous procedures. Some applicants have been waiting for ten years for their permanent residence status, according to a Congressional report.
The US Embassy in Colombo announced on April 4 that Sri Lankans traveling to the United States are now eligible to receive multiple entry visas valid for a five-year period.
Travelers whose visa requests are approved and have compelling reasons to travel often to the United States will automatically be issued the five-year validity visas.
Previously, Sri Lankans could obtain a US visa for a maximum period of one year.
The Bureau of Immigration has opened a new one-stop processing center to expedite the employment visa applications of foreigners wishing to work in the Philippines.
The center's opening is part of the bureau's move to foster a more liberalized climate for foreigners working in the country in order to attract more overseas investments, according to Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez, Jr.
In order to bolster border security in the United States, by 2007, most Canadians will need a passport to enter the US. By 2008, Americans going to Canada will also need to show a passport in order to re-enter the US.
Currently, Canadians and Americans are able to enter the United States with a driver's licence or a birth certificate, though a passport has sometimes made it simpler to satisfy immigration officers at the border.
Canadian Public Security Minister Anne McLellan said Americans may also have to carry their passports to enter Canada.