If you're planning to join your spouse in a new country, you may need to apply for a spouse visa. This process can be daunting and complex, but with the right information and guidance, you can navigate it successfully. In this article, we'll take you through each step of the spouse visa application process, from start to finish. Step 1: Determine Eligibility The first step in the spouse visa application process is to determine whether you're eligible to apply. Each country has its own eligibility requirements, which may include proof of marriage, financial stability, language proficiency, and more. Research the requirements for the country where you plan to move and ensure you meet them before you begin the application process. Step 2: Gather Required Documents Once you've determined your eligibility, it's time to gather the necessary documents to support your application. These may include your marriage certificate, passport, evidence of financial stability, language proficiency certificates, and more. It's essential to ensure that you have all the required documents before you begin the application process, as missing documents can cause significant delays or even rejection of your application. Step 3: Fill Out the Application Form After you've gathered all the necessary documents, the next step is to fill out the application form. This form will ask for personal and biographical information, as well as details about your relationship and financial situation. Take your time and fill out the form accurately, as any errors or discrepancies can lead to delays or rejection of your application. Step 4: Submit Your Application Once you've completed the application form, it's time to submit it along with your supporting documents. Depending on the country where you're applying, you may need to submit your application in person, by mail, or online. Make sure to follow the instructions carefully and include all required documents, as failure to do so can result in delays or rejection of your application. Step 5: Wait for Processing After you've submitted your application, it's time to wait for processing. The processing time can vary significantly depending on the country and the complexity of your application. You may be able to check the status of your application online or by contacting the immigration department. While waiting, it's essential to ensure that you're available and accessible in case the immigration department needs to contact you for additional information. Step 6: Receive Approval and Get Your Visa Once your application is approved, you'll receive your spouse visa. Depending on the country, you may need to collect it in person or have it mailed to you. Congratulations, you're now ready to join your spouse in your new country! In conclusion, applying for a spouse visa can be a challenging process, but with the right guidance and preparation, you can navigate it successfully. Follow these six steps to ensure a smooth application process, from determining your eligibility to receiving approval and getting your visa.
Last month, at least 53 migrants were found dead in an abandoned truck in San Antonio — one of the deadliest smuggling events in modern U.S. history. For many, this tragedy exposes the human costs of the country’s harsh restrictions on legal immigration. Some polls have recently reported that Americans have grown friendlier to immigration over the past decades. For the first time since Gallup started polling on the issue almost 60 years ago, more people say immigration should be increased rather than decreased. That’s a shift from 7 percent in favor of increases and 33 percent in favor of decreases in 1965, with the 2020 numbers suggesting that 34 percent favor increases and 28 percent favor decreases. But U.S. immigration attitudes may not have warmed as much as those numbers suggest. My new research shows that predominantly Democratic voters who support immigration simply do not see the issue as important as do the predominantly Republican voters who oppose it. As a result, opponents remain more politically influential than supporters. Americans’ Support for Immigration Is Even Weaker Than It SeemsIt’s true that a greater proportion of Americans are willing to tell pollsters that they support immigration than before. But that support is still soft. First, the aggregate change does not necessarily mean that individuals have changed their minds on the issue. My research with political scientists Dillon Laaker and Cassidy Reller looks at longitudinal survey data, in which the same respondents were interviewed over a decade. There we found much greater stability in individuals’ immigration attitudes. These attitudes form early in life and reflect deep-seated psychological traits such as openness to experience or ethnocentrism. In other words, if immigration public opinion changes in any significant way, it happens gradually, as older people give way to younger generations with different attitudes. Second, some scholars find that those people who agree to participate in surveys tend to be more liberal and more ideologically extreme than the general population. People’s refusal to participate in public opinion surveys has only increased over the past decades. As a result, recent polls may be overestimating increases in pro-immigration views. But even if more people do favor immigration, they may care about this issue less than those who oppose it — and therefore have less influence on public policy. How I Did My ResearchWhen individuals consider an issue to be personally important, they care more about it than other issues. They are more likely to think frequently and deeply about it, seek information, contact politicians and vote based on their views. Some scholars have recently tried to examine the immigration issue’s importance in public opinion, but high-quality data has often been lacking. I set out to identify all available nationally representative surveys with relevant questions about both immigration views and their importance. According to my analysis of American National Election Studies, Voter Study Group, and Institute for the Study of Citizens and Politics data, those who oppose immigration feel more strongly about the issue and are more likely to consider it as both personally and nationally important than those who support it. That’s especially true when the news media are paying more attention to the issue. Immigration Opponents Care More About the Issue Than Immigration SupportersEven though more Americans are telling pollsters that they support immigration, lawmakers hesitate to tackle immigration policy in ways that would make it easier to enter the United States. My research suggests that they’re right to be cautious. Americans who oppose immigration are far more engaged and active on the issue than are immigration supporters.
In fact, given the increased national attention to immigration over the past decades, the number of people who actively oppose immigration has actually increased. Immigration Advocates Head to New Orleans as Federal Court Hears Oral Arguments in DACA Case7/6/2022
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Dozens of Houston's immigration advocates will be heading to New Orleans overnight, as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals prepares to hear oral arguments in the Texas case challenging the legality of DACA. FIEL Houston and Woori Juntos, the two organizations participating in this trip, said they will be marching and rallying outside the courthouse during the hearing on Wednesday morning.
FIEL Houston's executive director, Cesar Espinosa says this hearing is personal. As a "Dreamer" or DACA recipient, he said if the program is rescinded, the impact would extend beyond the immigrant community. "It's important for us because our lives are at stake. If this court gives a bad ruling, then obviously, we're going to challenge it as it goes up to the Supreme Court. But with the way the Supreme Court has been deciding a lot of the cases recently, this could be life-altering for not only myself, but for the other 750,000 DACA recipients around the country," he said. "These are people who have been contributing economically for the last 10 years and more. They have families here and are Americans by any other means, except for their papers." That's one of the reasons why he will be traveling with about 40 people from Houston to New Orleans. They plan on leaving at 2 a.m. and arriving at 8 a.m. Wednesday, shortly before the hearing begins. It's not their first time making a trek like this to demonstrate. They've traveled to Austin and Washington D.C. before too. Woori Juntos, a local Korean-led organization will be joining them this time around. "When people think of DACA, they think of the Hispanic and Latino community. But that is not actually true. There are so many Asians who are DACA recipients too," Hyungja Norman, the executive director of Woori Juntos, said. "We struggle every day in this country to live as an immigrant. I am an immigrant also. So I cannot be silent when our community is under attack." Espinosa said although it's highly unlikely that the judge will make a ruling on the case on Wednesday, their presence is all about putting faces to the issue. |