Many countries are happy to admit visitors for short term trips. In many the tourist industry is a major contributor to the local economy. Generally such countries make it easy to obtain a visitor’s visa. Some do not require one and others have such visas available for purchase at the place of entry. Obtaining a visa for permanent residence is a very different matter, although, again, there are many differences in approach between countries. Those which actively encourage the settlement of retirees generally make things easier than those which do not have such programs. The details required of the prospective immigrant seeking retirement abroad are far more than is called for from a short term visitor or tourist 영국 아포스티유.
A visa is not a document or stamp in a passport which ensures entry into a country. Entry is the prerogative of the immigration officer at the place of entry at which the traveller arrives. A visa merely gets one to the position where the immigration officer can consider his options. In some cases it may take a number of years to obtain a visa under a permanent resident or retiree program. In other situations a visa application may be approved but a vacancy for entry to the country may not be available, possibly, for a number of years. The differences occur because of the many kinds of visas that may be available and the purposes for which they are granted. Some visas may be available only seasonally, others for particular skills held by prospective entrants and different visas may be issued for social or political reasons. Not all are for long stays or permanent residence. In some cases it is a person other than the would be immigrant who must take the initiative in making an application for a visa. It can also be a prospective employer who must make the first move.
For the retiree it is, usually, in those countries welcoming such resettlement, a case of proving financial standing. This may be in the form of capital or a prescribed minimum guaranteed income. In other countries the consideration of the benefits of family re-union is often accepted as a good reason for allowing permanent settlement although the sponsor may be held responsible for some social and medical expenses for a number of years. In most cases the formal procedures have a lot in common.
Whether or not it is a sponsor in the settlement country, who, normally, must be a citizen or a legal resident, who makes the original move to petition the government to allow the retiree to settle the prospective new resident will usually have an application form to compete. At the minimum an application form will be a signed statement of facts that the supporting documents will confirm. In some cases it will be much more. The U.S.A. asks for every address at which an applicant has lived for more than six months since the age of sixteen years. This can be a difficult task for a retiree who has led an “international” life for some forty years. A great deal of research and memory probing may be necessary.
Supporting documents will include a notarized copy of the data page of a passport, a copy of a full (long form) birth certificate and any marriage certificate and/or divorce decree issued by the same authority that issued the originals and police clearance certificates. Again the U.S.A. is most demanding in this respect. A police clearance certificate is required from every country in which an applicant has lived for more than six months since the age of sixteen years. It is also possible that educational certificates and personal, bank and employer references may be required.
Often all documents must be translated into the national language of the settlement country. It is sometimes possible that this can be done by the local embassy or consulate in the applicant’s home country. Any private translator must be approved by the government of the settlement country. In either case it is unlikely that this will be cost free. In some cases apostillation may be necessary. The Apostille Treaty specifies the requirements necessary for a document to be certified for legal use in all countries which are signatories to the treaty. It is effectively an international notarization process.
After all documentary requirements have been satisfied it will be necessary to pass a medical examination by an approved practitioner and probably attendance at a formal interview will be necessary. It is easy to see why an application may take a couple or more years to complete before a visa is issued. The visa will also likely have a comparatively short expiry period which will not usually exceed the expiry date of the home country’s police clearance certificate.
Achieving permanent residency, which may or may not lead to citizenship, is a complex and time consuming process. It is not something that anyone would want to go through more then once. This another reason why visiting prospective retirement countries before making a final choice is considered to be a “Golden Rule” which should not be ignored. The objective must be to get it right before beginning all of the above processes.