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Wonder No more but LEARN more about the easiest pathway to this dream.

STUDY, WORK and LIVE in these AMAZING countries and Bigstart Travel and Visa Assistance Services will show you how!

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Are u willing to achieve the quality of life you have been dreaming of? Then, look no further…BIGstart has the answer. Try Student visa a pathway to migration! Get a chance to meet and talk with our school representatives!

Student Visa – PATHWAY to Permanent Residency

March 20, 2016 / 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
SM City Cebu – SM Trade Hall

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Cebu main office: +63(32)4167710, 5059207
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1. What will change once the law goes into effect?

Previously, the US waived visas for up to 90 days for citizens and nationals of 38 countries on their visa waiver list, many in the European Union.

Anyone eligible for the visa waiver program (VWP) still has to fill out an electronic form that’s administered by the US Department of Homeland Security before travelling to the US called the ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation). The ESTA clearance lasts two years.

Under the new law, those who previously would have qualified for ESTA but have a second citizenship from Iran, Iraq, Syria or Sudan or have visited those countries in the last five years will face changes.

Those people will need to apply for a visa. It’s unclear if those who apply for a visa must still get an ESTA or how long the ESTA clearance will last.

2. How will the visa program work?

The law is set to be implemented in 2016, although a time frame has not been determined by the US Department of Homeland Security and it’s standard practice for a new law to be subject to review.

Once the law is implemented, those who are affected could be required to go to a US embassy and apply for a visa in person, which could include an interview.

At the moment in London, for example, a visitor visa appointment can be scheduled in four days. The length of time it takes to be issued a visa is a case by case basis but can take anywhere from next day to a week.

3. Will I have to apply every time I go to the US?

The good news may be that most people won’t have to go into the embassy too often. A visa for tourism and business purposes for dual UK nationals, for example, may be valid for a maximum of 10 years and costs $160.

However, the length of visa would be determined then by a consular officer after an interview and background check.

4. Who will be hit hardest?

Specialists like journalists and performers already require a separate visa to travel to the US, and anyone seeking to work in the US – that is, be paid by a US company – requires a work visa. But those who are coming to the US for tourism or for business meetings, deals, or conferences – were previously covered by the VWP.

Because of this, the programme is expected to affect business people the most, especially those who come in and out frequently. and even more so those businesspeople who have recently been to Iran since the nuclear deal reached over the summer opened more opportunities for them.

The concern has angered the Iranian government who say this new law would violate the deal. But Secretary of State John Kerry has promised in a letter to Iran’s foreign minister that extensive visas will be available.

5. What if I’m a dual US citizen?

If you have a US passport and you have travelled to designated countries or are a dual national of these countries, you do not require a visa

Source: bbc.com

Since BIGSstart has already decided to open its doors to serving student visa applicants for New Zealand, more schools have tried to seek its partnership to give BIGStart’s prospective clients options in terms of schools and courses/programs they would want to enroll in. Last November 30, 2015, BIGStart had a breakfast meeting with the International Academy of New Zealand’s Market Access Coordinator- Mr. William Bromley for an initial discussion about future partnership between two companies. The International Academy of New Zealand is a private training institution based in Auckland, New Zealand that offers Diploma program in Business courses. For more information about the school, please feel free to visit their website at http://www.ianz.ac.nz/. If you are interested to apply for a Student Visa, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line or call us anytime.

Source:kite.ac.nz

Pathway student visas will be implemented on 7 December 2015 for an initial pilot period of 18 months and cover more than 500 higher quality primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. The 18 month period will enable INZ to evaluate pilot outcomes, such as student transition rates from the first to the second programme of study and how well the arrangements between providers are working.

Pathway student visas will have the following key features:
Education providers will be required to have a 90% global student visa approval rate for entry into the pilot (over 12 month period)
Providers will enter into a formal agreement between themselves to manage pastoral care and education progress
Qualifying education providers participating in the pilot will be published on the INZ website
Students will provide an offer of place and paid tuition fees for the first programme of study/year (whichever is shorter) and conditional offers for subsequent programmes of study
Students will provide evidence of maintenance funds for the first year of study
Work rights will be granted for the visa duration if the first programme of study qualifies for work rights under existing immigration instructions.

The new visas will provide assurance for students and lead to efficiency gains for Immigration New Zealand and the industry as students will not need to apply for as many visas as well as having a visa for their whole planned pathway of study.

Source: immigration.govt.nz

Two other airports in the Philippines made it to the top 30 airports in Asia: the Iloilo International Airport, which ranked 21st; and the Clark International Airport, which ranked 24th.

The website www.sleepinginairports.net (The Guide to Sleeping in Airports) released the results of its 2015 Airport Survey last Saturday.

The ranking, it said, was based on “overall airport experience” as determined by travelers.

“It’s an honor and we are grateful. It inspires us to be even better,” said Estee Marie Plunket, head of corporate affairs of the GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC), the private operator of the Mactan airport.

Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) noted the Mactan aiport’s “vastly improved services and facilities after evident upgrades were implemented by GMCAC.”

These upgrades, he said, include the replacement of worn-out interiors such as counters, lighting, and ceiling boards; reconfiguration of the check-in lobby and waiting areas; improved resort airport theme design, with abundant plant arrangement interiors; new seats and furniture for added comfort.

Other improvements are upgraded security procedures to lessen passenger queuing; construction of a greeter’s area; and installation of new equipment, such as self-service check-in kiosks.

“This is just the beginning of our modernization airports,” Abaya said in a statement on the official website of the Philippine Government.

World-class

Abaya said world-class terminals will rise in Mactan and Clark soon. A new international airport will also be opened in Panglao, Bohol, he said. Airports in other major destinations in the country, he said, will also undergo a makeover.

The Mactan airport was turned over to the GMCAC in November last year, after the DOTC and the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) entered into a concession agreement with the consortium.

Agreement

Under the agreement, the GMCAC will operate and develop the facility for 25 years.

Plunket said ranking 18th in an airport survey is “an honor we share with our grantors DOTC and MCIAA, along with the Cebuanos.”

“Together, we can achieve our goal to be one of the best airports under the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model,” she added.

The Singapore Changi International Airport in Singapore was voted the best airport in the survey.

It was followed by Seoul Incheon International Airport in South Korea, Tokyo Haneda International Airport in Japan, Taipei Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan, Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.

Source: sunstar.com.ph

http://www.bigstartvisa.com/blog/golden-globe-annual-awards-for-business-excellence-2015/

About two years ago, the DOTC reported a total of 7,690,038 registered motor vehicles in the country.
Now imagine all these vehicles wanting to reach the Dau-Angeles exit that would lead to other interchanges and the travel destinations to the North. Imagine further that all these vehicles would have to enter only through the Balintawak entry point.

In visa and consular terms, that entry point would be Philippines with the United States as the sole destination for Filipino immigrant visa applicants. As with the expressway, since there are more vehicles than the road that could accommodate them, hundreds of thousands would have to wait for their turn at the Balintawak exit, causing a monumental backlog all the way to Mindanao – and Sabah.

There are only 25,620 immigrant visas allocated to the Philippines every year in the preference categories.

That essentially is what Filipino applicants waiting for their immigrant visas are experiencing, year after year.

For every Filipino who enters the US after visa issuance, sponsoring or petitioning immediate relatives – spouse, dependent child, parents means more applicants waiting at the US Embassy toll gates.

As of November 1, 2013, the US State Department said there were 4,322,575 permanent resident applicants worldwide. Of this number, Mexico was on top with 1,312,198 while the Philippines came in a distant second with 436,639.

Where do Filipino visa applicants look for signs to know when their immigrant visa interview would be scheduled?

From the Visa Bulletin published by the US State Department within the 10th to 12th day of each month. They should receive a notice to appear for the consular interview at the US Embassy in Manila from the National Visa Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Until September this year, the State Department puts out the cut-off dates that would be matched with the visa applicant’s priority date. If the priority date of an applicant for example in the First Family preference category (F1 – unmarried sons and daughters of US citizens) shows “22OCT00” this means, petitions for Filipino applicants filed on or before October 20, 2000 should have their immigrant visa interviews scheduled.

Failure to apply or pursue an immigrant visa application within a year could result in the termination of the case. Unless the visa beneficiary (the person being petitioned) really does not want to join his or her family in the US, then termination or revocation of the visa application – for failure to apply – would take the applicant’s name off the list.

In a manner of speaking, he or she would be asked to get out of the visa expressway. That would mean the visa applicant would have to go back to the end of the line of visa vehicles waiting to enter.

Up until this month, the September Visa Bulletin (below) only puts up the priority dates for four countries that have more applicants than there are visas to be issued.

Starting October 2015, the State Department will put up additional signs for immigrant visa applicants to watch out for.

In addition to the traditional table being posted, the State Department now will put up an additional chart. http://www.bigstartvisa.com/blog/new-signs-at-the-visa-expressway/One chart would have the “Final Action Dates” for each category; the other chart would show the “Date for Filing” dates.

A cut-off date — also known as priority or filing dates for each visa petition that appears in the “Final Action Dates” chart — would be the go signal to request an interview date since the fees would have already been paid, medical exam and NBI clearance and other documents obtained and submitted.

The cut-off dates on the other chart (“Date for Filing” table) on the other hand, is a signal for visa applicants to start their immigrant visa application process before their priority dates become current. Quite a number of visa applicants watch the Visa Bulletin and start obtaining the documents only when their priority dates appear, a common mistake that leads to tragic results.

In some cases where the petitioner is an elderly, frail parent, failure to pay the visa fees and submit complete, valid and current documents on time causes automatic revocation of the petition with the death of the petitioner.

Another unwelcome result of not looking out for signs – not monitoring the Visa Bulletin or knowing what global trends could affect the forward or backward movement of cut-off dates- resulting in the aging out of a dependent child who turns 21.

When a child ages out, that son or daughter would be left behind and even if the parent files a petition after getting the green card, the waiting period at the visa toll gates would be anywhere from 10 to 15 years: causing a family separation that could have been avoided.

That in any language is not a good sign.

Source: manilatimes.net

Many international students are likely unfamiliar with the social and academic expectations of U.S. colleges. Differences may ​include a greater focus on teamwork and more flexibility when it comes to choosing a major.

The following tips and information, collected from posts on the U.S. News’ International Student Counsel blog, ​can help prospective students make the most of their time studying in the States.​​

1. Don’t Forget Freshman Orientation
Freshman orientation is an important step for all incoming college students, including international students. Plan to arrive in the U.S. early enough to attend this valuable event. Orientation provides a chance to get to know your fellow classmates, learn more about school activities and start to adjust before the rigors of the semester begin.

2. Expect Class Discussions to Count
Discussion between professors and students plays a big role in U.S. college courses, and class participation is often a factor in deciding final grades. Participation may be especially important to success in courses revolving around collaboration or debate.

3. Hone English Language Skills
U.S. colleges are social environments, and prospective international students should spend time improving their English skills before they arrive. Students can boost their conversational language skills from their home countries by doing things like reading books or watching American television shows. It will certainly help with it comes time to interact with American classmates.

4. Don’t Count Out 2-Year Programs
Community colleges are a way for international students to get a taste of U.S. college life without the time and cost commitments of a four-year degree. Prospective students interested in starting off at these two-year institutions should research transfer options and know how credits will apply to four-year universities.

5. Learn Your Way Around the Library
Prospective international students should add libraries to their college research checklists. The library can be a great study space and a place to find academic support. It’s also a good resource for borrowing course textbooks for free, which can cost serious money if bought new.

6. Keep an Open Mind About Majors
Unlike many​ foreign universities, most U.S. colleges aren’t tied to one specific field or specialization and allow students to apply without needing to declare their majors. International students can use this flexibility to spend their freshman year researching subjects of interest or speaking with advisers and professors about potential majors.​

7. Explore Extracurricular Options
Along with academics, participating in extracurricular activities is a big part of the U.S. college experience. Joining clubs or sports teams can help students make friends, learn new skills and boost their professional resumes. http://www.bigstartvisa.com/blog/us-10-ways-international-students-can-prepare-for-u-s-college-success/Take time to do some research about options at your target schools.

8. Learn to Work As a Team
It’s common for professors at U.S. colleges to assign group projects, often in the form of researched presentations. Prospective international students should be comfortable working with a team and realize that certain project grades may be influenced by the work of their peers.

9. Get to Know the International Students Office
Reaching out to this office can provide answers on everything from class availability to visa and housing information. In addition, browsing school websites can offer additional insight into campus life at each and resources for international students.

10. Research On-Campus Employment Options
Getting a student job at college can help international students improve their English language skills and earn a little money. Prospective students can research on-campus career options before applying and get an idea of availability and requirements at their target schools.

Source: usnews.com