Archives for November 2012

Muslim travelers and vegetarians often find it difficult to enjoy a decent meal when traveling around certain countries. However, Muslim travelers make up an increasing proportion of travelers and these vacationers are looking further afield when it comes to choosing their destination. As such, countries such as New Zealand are launching new food travel initiatives to make it easier for Muslims and vegetarians to eat well and enjoy their vacation.

New Zealand Tourism recently launched a tourist guide specifically for the needs of vegetarian and Halal travelers. New Zealand is relatively close to Indonesia and Malaysia, countries with large Muslim populations, and New Zealand is keen to improve its appeal to people from these countries.

The travel tourist guide offers general information about New Zealand as well as a comprehensive list of Halal-certified restaurants and cafes, and restaurants that serve vegetarian or vegan food. This culinary travel guide will be provided to travelers via travel agents in addition to New Zealand embassies. In addition, tourism leaders will be briefed on how to provide information about vegetarian food and the importance of catering to different culinary and religious needs.

Muslim tourism to New Zealand has been increasing steadily over the past few years. In August 2011 the number of Muslim tourists to visit New Zealand was up 141 percent on the 2010 numbers, according to officials. The amount of money Muslims spend in New Zealand is predicted to continue to rise. Many countries around the world have been adapting their own Halal tourism features, including hotels in Turkey geared towards Muslim families and many tourist restaurants offering vegetarian options. Tourists of all religions and culinary needs are looking further afield for places to visit and will be impressed by the greater choice that is now available in vacations.

The decision to grant or deny you a visa is vested on a consular official who has the authority to grant or deny you, when it comes to the United States Visa application process. This is the more reason why applying for a United States is said to be a vexing experience. Consular officials are obliged to tell you why you are denied visa, even though these are confusing criteria that can be interpreted any way.

However, this is true for immigrant and non-immigrant visas. Imagine a situation where you work rigorously for 6 months or more to complete an immigrant visa application to the United States only to be denied based on one person’s judgment. On the other hand, a denial does not necessarily ruin your life in a non-immigrant visa application for the fact that a non-immigrant visa is a much shorter process and less expensive.

You have to book appointment months in advance when you apply for a US Visitor Visa or Non-immigrant Visa. Furthermore, you must have an equivalent minimum balance in your bank account to the tune of $1500. You will as well fill out the prescribed visa application to be taken along with you to your appointment. You must complete 2 forms if you are a man between the ages of 25 and 45 years.

With the United States immigrant visa process, each visa type has a different set of instructions that must be strictly adhered to precisely in order to keep away from having your application being returned for corrections, more information or outright refusal. This process could take as little as 6 months or as long as ten years or more depending upon your country of abode and the visa type you are applying for. If you have a blemished or tarnished record in your home country or United States in any way, expect an attorney to assist you and expect to wait in frustration and agony for at least two years for an answer.

The joy of a United States visa application is for it to be successful. Therefore, your United States visa application can only be successful if you follow all instructions as highlighted above. Ensure that you have all the required proofs and supporting documents before filing your application United States visa. Do a thorough research, understand what you need to confirm who you are and duplicate all materials for record purpose.

When your US visa gets refused, what is the next step to take? Time without number, we get so upset that our US visa was refused after the wearisome and lengthy US visa application process. On the other hand, we do not know the next line of action after a US visa refusal to obtain the needed visa. Imagine the situation where you applied for visa, attended the interview and you were told that you were not eligible for the visa after a careful arbitration of your documents by the Consular Officer for ineligibility discovered in the Nationality Act (INA) and the US Immigration. You are not left without remedy, if this is the case.

Why Your US Visa Application May Be Denied

There are many reasons for your US visa to be denied as provided by the INA. Highlighted below are some of the reasons why the INA and US immigration may deny you US visa.
1. According to section 221 (g), visa application must be accompanied by necessary supporting documents and must be filled properly, otherwise, such application will be rejected.
2. Provided that the application did not overcome the presumption of being an intending immigrant to US according to section 214 (b)
3 There is no enough proof of financial support in US, which may likely become a public charge as contained in section 212 (a) (4).
4. Visa fraud or the misrepresentation of material fact – section 212 (a) (6) (C) (i)
5. Staying more than required (overstaying) according to section 212 (a) (9) (B) (i).

It is not in every circumstance that the applicant can file for reapplication. For instance, if the refusal is according to section 221 (g), it will necessitate administrative processing which only require you (applicant) to forward the missing document or data to the Embassy. However, completion of documents is not a guarantee that your US visa application will be granted immediately. You have to wait for a while for the final decision concerning the visa.

Finally, reapplication is not the total cure for your visa refusal and do not think about reapplication anytime you are refused visa because there is more to this. You ought to know why your visa is refused and remedy the situation with the best solution that fits your particular case.

What is international insurance and how can it enhance your travel plans? This type of insurance is intended for travelers who will be traveling or living abroad for at least 30 days. Travelers who will be living abroad for more than one year can find and purchase the most appropriate plan for their needs.

The categories of coverage in this niche include travel insurance, which the short-term traveler should select; international travel health insurance, which is the best choice for travelers who will be traveling or living abroad for at least 30 days and up to one year; and, an international travel health insurance plan tailored for the traveler who will be living abroad for more than one year. This insurance category also holds the long-term annual health insurance plan, meant to protect the international traveler against long-term catastrophic health costs.

Before travelers pack their bags, they should sit down and figure out which form of insurance is the most appropriate for their travel plans and health needs. In the event of an unexpected illness or accident, this insurance coverage can help you avoid interrupting your plans to travel and/or live abroad. In fact, most overseas countries require that travelers show proof that they have purchased adequate insurance coverage before they grant an entry visa.

Some international insurance plans will be tiered. That is, they will offer different levels of care depending upon what the traveler decides he needs, based on his health and on his travel plans. Other plans allow travelers to include or exclude U.S. coverage, meaning they can decide if they want to pay or not when they are within U.S. borders. These plans are most usually reserved for U.S. citizens who plan to live outside the United States, or for citizens of other countries who are living in countries where they do not hold citizenship.