Visa Policy Research Articles

Environmental Degradation, Quality of Institutions and Tourism: New Evidence from Pakistan

This study explores the effects of tourism, quality of institutions and FDI on environmental degradation inPakistan for the two time periods i.e. 1996-2017 and 2000-2017. Quality of institutions is included in the time period2000-2017 which is adopted from world governance indicators but due to lack of the data it has not been included insecond time (1999-2017). To find out the relationship among given variables, Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regressionwas carried out, moreover, Breusch-Godfrey Serial Correlation LM test, Heteroscedasticity Test and HistogramNormality test were also applied to diagnose the econometric issues in the given models. The findings of the studyrevealed that tourism is significant and influential factor of environmental degradation in Pakistan. Similarly, foreigndirect investment is also contributing in environmental degradation but its effect is insignificant for both time periods.On the other hand, an inverse relationship is observed between quality of institution and environmental degradation.The outcomes of the study suggest that environmental degradation can be overcome by increasing the quality of theinstitutions. Moreover, the government initiatives to attract foreign tourists by introducing new visa policy, whichincludes; electronic visa, on arrival visa and opening new avenues for tourists (e.g. Kartarpur Corridor and CPECinitiatives etc.) will have tremendous impact on the national economy. However, environmental degradation is theoutcome of tourism, therefore, policy maker’s needs to consider the negative effects of tourism in addition to itspositive effects on the economy.

The relational dimension of externalizing border control: selective visa policies in migration and border diplomacy

The paper traces the crucial role of visa policies in externalizing border control. Since the European Union has agreed upon a highly selective visa policy in 2001, most neighbouring countries are (newly) confronted with visa requirements for short-term travel. Because of this standardization of travel opportunities, visa-free travel to the European Union has become a rare and valuable political asset both for third country nationals and their governments. Consequently, visa liberalization became a major issue in bilateral negotiations with the EU over cooperation in migration management and is frequently used as an incentive by the EU institutions. However, the EU is not the only cooperating partner that strategically engages in border and migration diplomacy. As the case studies of Moldova, Morocco and Turkey show, all governments involved use issues of mobility regulation as a foreign policy tool, though with varying success in regard to visa liberalization.

PUNISHMENT FOR FOREIGN CITIZENS THAT MAKE AN ABUSE OF FREE VISIT VISA


 
 Geographically, Indonesia's territory consists of islands which have a short distance from other countries, even bordering directly with other countries. Causing the easy movement of people from one country to another. Ideally for the sake of securing the country there should be a visa to enter a country. Visas are divided into various types, one of which is a visitor visa. In applying for a visitor visa in Indonesia, the President issues a Presidential Regulation concerning visa-free visits. In Presidential Regulation No. 21 of 2016 concerning visa-free visits contained in article 3 paragraph (1) that the visa-free visa recipient is exempt from the obligation to have a visitor visa to enter Indonesian territory. And in Article 4 paragraph (1) and paragraph (2) it is stated that foreign tourists will be granted a stay permit for 30 days but cannot extend the visa-free validity period or be converted into another residence permit. This paper discusses the use of visa-free visitor visit both positive impacts and negative impacts of the visa-free visa policy. This visa-free policy issued by the President has caused an increase in the level of traffic for people entering and leaving Indonesian territory. This increase in traffic was dominated by foreigners entering and leaving Indonesian territory, this had an impact on the weak guarding of foreign workers who could not be detected due to the visa-free policy.. As well as solutions to the impacts produced by visa-free policies.
 
 

Studying to Stay: Understanding Graduate Visa Policy Content and Context in the United States and Australia

AbstractAs the global mobility of students has continued to grow, many of those who obtain their degrees abroad are seeking opportunities to stay in the countries where they received their education. Responding to these trends, several host countries have devised visa schemes to enable international graduates to remain in the country and work after graduation. Using a summative content analysis approach, this article provides an analysis of the content of the Optional Practical Training and Temporary Graduate Visa programmes situated within the economic, political and social contexts of the United States and Australia respectively. Graduation from a domestic institution is the core requirement of these programmes, directly implicating higher education in immigration issues and placing higher education institutions at the border of the state. As such, we must consider HEIs not only as a temporary home for globally mobile student sojourners but as the starting point for transnational talent on complex migration journeys.

Undergraduate International Student Enrollment Forecasting Model: An Application of Time Series Analysis

This study developed statistical models to forecast international undergraduate student enrollment at a Midwest university. The authors constructed a SARIMA (Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) model with input variables to estimate future enrollment. The SARIMA model reflected enrollment patterns by semester through highlighting seasonality. Further, authors added input variables such as visa policy changes, the rapid increase of Chinese undergraduate enrollment, and tuition rate into the model estimation. The visa policy change and the increase of Chinese undergraduate enrollment were significant predictors of international undergraduate enrollment. The effect of tuition rates was significant but minimal in magnitude. Findings of this study generate significant implications for policy, enrollment management, and student services for international students.

The Unwavering Support

The interview with Judith Gough, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to Ukraine, reveals Her Excellency’s opinion on a range of issues and the position of Great Britain on security matters. The article states Great Britain was one of the pioneers of the campaign for the imposition of sanctions against the Russian Federation in response to its aggression against Ukraine. Great Britain also highly appreciates the support of Ukraine after the Salisbury incident. Specifically, here the reader will find articulated Great Britain’s position relating to the Minsk process, which can be succinctly described by a phrase ‘there is no such thing as an ideal peace process.’ The negotiations are always associated with difficulties and never finish at a pace desired. However, the paramount task of today is to stop hostilities in Donbas. The interview goes on to explore the role of the NATO Contact Point Embassy, which consists in that every NATO Member State undertakes the functions to carry out NATO public diplomacy, assists the NATO Liaison Office in communicating with citizens of the receiving state, and makes clear what the organization is and what its activities are. It is stressed it is the first time when such functions are jointly undertaken by two countries, Great Britain and Canada. Thus, Ukraine has gained the support of two states at the same time. The article also underlines that Great Britain does not intend to change its visa policy towards Ukraine. However, that is not a discriminatory model, as such a policy is applied to the entire world in the same manner. An important aspect of this matter in the relations between Ukraine and Great Britain is an ever-growing number of visas issued. It is mentioned that Brexit has not changed the policy of Great Britain towards Ukraine, has not affected the decision to support Ukraine, and has not decreased an interest to it. After the referendum, the support has become even more evident. The number of visits at the ministerial level has also increased. The article delineates the importance of such organisation as the British Council, providing not only English tutor lessons at a globally recognised level but also vigorously taking part in the realm of cultural diplomacy. Key words: Ukrainian-British relations, Brexit, NATO, Minsk process.

ПИТАННЯ СТВОРЕННЯ ЦІННІСНОЇ МОДЕЛІ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНОЇ ПОЛІТИКИ У МЕДІАПРОСТОРІ УКРАЇНА–ЄС

ПИТАННЯ СТВОРЕННЯ ЦІННІСНОЇ МОДЕЛІ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНОЇ ПОЛІТИКИ У МЕДІАПРОСТОРІ УКРАЇНА–ЄС

STRATEGIES TO INCREASE THE NON-TAX REVENUE OF IMMIGRATION SUBJECT TO THE PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO.21 OF 2016 ON VISA WAIVER PROGRAM


 
 This paper discusses the phenomena of Visa Waiver Program policy under the Presidential Regulation No. 21 of 2016 on Free Visa Policy in which there are 169 countries being exempted from obtaining a visa to enter the Indonesian territory. Since then, this policy affects a significant decrease of the non-tax revenue of Immigration which might cause the programs and immigration policy getting fewer. The purpose is to set up recommended strategies to raise the number of non-tax revenue of immigration and as a reference and recommendation for Directorate General of Immigration (DGI). The result shows that there are three steps and strategies in an effort to make the non-tax revenue of immigration higher: increasing the fee of the existing non-tax revenue, regulating the discrimination of fee (user charges) of the non-tax revenue, and adding categories of non-tax revenue of immigration.
 
 

The Global Evolution of Travel Visa Regimes.

The Global Evolution of Travel Visa Regimes.

Subversive Self-Employment: Intersectionality and Self-Employment Among Dependent Visas Holders in the United States

Drawing on intersectionality theory, I examine how U.S. visa policies shape the informal self-employment experiences of Indian women and men who migrated to the United States on “dependent visas” to accompany their highly skilled spouses on temporary work visas. Dependent visa policy prohibits employment for the visa holders for a period that can last from 6 to 20 years. Despite this, only a handful of those on dependent visas pursued informal self-employment in my sample, with fewer men than women. This study is based on interviews with 45 participants, with a special focus on 18 dependent spouses (men and women), who had engaged in active self-employment, and tries to understand their experiences with self-employment, particularly their choice of businesses and the role of self-employment in their lives as dependents. I conclude that the complexities of the experiences of self-employment for my research participants are embedded in the intersections of their gender, class, race, and immigration status. Additionally, self-employment itself inadvertently becomes an act of subversion against their state-imposed dependence.

Tall paper walls: The political economy of visas and cross‐border travel

AbstractCross‐border travel for business, personal and tourism purposes is an important component of trade in services. In 2013, travel accounted for 25% of services export in the world. Trade in services accounted for 12% of GDP in the world. Hence, the role of travel in many economies is substantial. The current paper studies the determinants of cross‐border flows of people with a particular emphasis on the role of visa policies. We adopt the UN General Assembly Affinity Index, a measure of the quality of bilateral relations between nations, to instrument for bilateral visa policy. We find that, ceteris paribus, imposing visa restrictions on a country reduces travel from that country by about 73% in 2010 implying restrictive visa policies discourage cross‐border travel significantly. This implies an adverse impact of restrictive visa policies on trade‐in‐services.

A study of tourism market for Chinese citizens travelling to the USA

Since China and the USA signed the travel memorandum in 2007, the tourism market for Chinese citizens travelling to the USA grew very rapidly. The USA has become China's the fifth largest tourist destination country, and there is still a huge space for market expansion. This paper summarises the basic characteristics of tourism market for Chinese citizens travelling to the USA. It also analyses the purposes for Chinese citizens for travelling to the USA such as the attractiveness of American nature, the rising of Chinese personal income and the change of American tourism visa policy to Chinese. It addresses potential concerns the market for Chinese citizen travelling to the USA. We discuss the market's trends and consumers' evolution in the future. Finally, we offer our recommendations on promoting the tourism market at both macro- and micro-levels.

The Global Approach to Migration and Mobility

Since the Treaty of Amsterdam, the EU has developed several instruments delineating cooperation with third countries in the management of migration, borders and asylum in the so-called Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM). Under the ‘more for more’ mechanism, the EU tries to persuade third countries to strengthen their border controls, restrict their visa policy and readmit irregular migrants with incentives such as trade benefits, visa facilitation or financial support. In its Partnership Framework of 2016, the Commission announced a more pro-active approach by shifting its emphasis from the ‘more for more’ to the ‘less for less’ mechanism, including leverages and tools of all other policy areas. This article analyses the overall objectives of the GAMM (which are promoting fundamental rights and achieving an equal partnership) and the content of its four pillars. While elaborating on the potential impact on the policies in third countries and the human rights of migrants, it concludes that due to the paradoxical objectives, the cooperation has the potential to create counterproductive effects and an incoherent foreign policy. The absence of criteria on human rights for the selection of partner countries as well as the lack of a mechanism on monitoring or suspension of such cooperation lowers the chance of an adequate response in case of human rights violations. With these considerations in mind, the article explores the content and impact of the EU-Turkey deal and answers the question if it serves as a blueprint for a new generation of readmission agreements with other countries. The author concludes that due to the lack of mutual benefits and the differences in human rights standards and practices, transferring the responsibility of refugees to third countries will not prove effective and compliant with EU standards.

The Role of Migration Policy Changes in Europe for Return Migration to Senegal

This study questions the role of migration policy changes in France, Italy, and Spain for return migration to Senegal, by analyzing biographic data from the Migration between Africa and Europe (MAFE-Senegal) survey and the contextual data of the Determinants of International Migration (DEMIG) VISA and DEMIG POLICY databases that cover major changes in migration policies in these destination countries for the different categories of migrants. Event history logistic regressions reveal that Senegalese migrants are less likely to return when the entry restrictions have become tighter. This result suggests that the decision to return depends on the possibility of migrating again after the return, which is crucial for both theory and policy regarding Western democracies’ attempts to regulate migration.

EU visa policy

In the absence of any clear indication in the EU Treaties as to what solidarity entails, three visions of solidarity have emerged: supranational/functional, intergovernmental/voluntary and an individual-focused/constructivist vision. Following the case of X and X v. Belgium and the link between visa policy and the EU’s questionable strategy of externalizing international protection, it can be concluded that visa policy is characterized by the absence of individual-focused solidarity, and it does not offer any expression of the central place that human rights protection has in the EU’s identity. This may be partly reconnected to the unclear scope of the fundamental rights protection framework that is applicable to visas under international law. Visa policy is characterized by inter-state and state-centred solidarity which takes a supranational form in policy formulation and an intergovernmental form in implementation. Supranational solidarity has not proven necessarily effective in overcoming divergences between the Member States in sovereignty sensitive areas, or capable of doing so in a way that upholds EU principles. Intergovernmental solidarity in implementation is functionally driven and progressively characterized by EU norms and procedures, but it is unlikely that the search for effectiveness will lead to the supranationalization of this sovereignty sensitive field.

Should Policy Makers Be Concerned About a Negative Wage Impact of Skilled Immigrants Receiving Advanced Educational Degrees in the U.S.?

Immigrants receiving advanced educational degrees in the U.S. play an increasingly important role in the U.S. economy. Visa regulation concerning their employment by U.S. corporations, however, is a subset of the overall H-1B visa policy that has remained largely unchanged over the last 25 years or so. Policy makers unanimously agree that H-1B visa regulation, particularly concerning US-educated immigrants, needs a comprehensive reform. Hindering reform is the belief that U.S. corporations hire H-1B immigrants, whether educated in the U.S. or abroad, to lower the wages of native workers, not to meet the shortfall of skilled labor. No systematic evidence exists on the wage-depressing argument related to U.S. educated skilled immigrants. We contribute to the debate by examining the wage-depressing argument in the audit industry, which is a significant employer of U.S.-educated skilled immigrants. We find no evidence for this argument in our setting. Our study should interest researchers and policy makers as it supports the case for delinking the regulation reform for immigrants receiving advanced degrees in the U.S. from the overall H-1B visa reform.

Tourism(s) and the way to democracy in Myanmar

In few other countries than Myanmar have political context and tourism been so closely linked for more than fifty years. After the open situation of colonial times and the early days of independence, the military junta closed the country from 1962 to 1988, by using a severe visa policy. From 1988 to 2010 a new military regime began to open the country to attract foreign currencies and restore the image of the country on the international stage through a proactive policy and by organizing a Visit Myanmar Year in 1996. Despite its moderate success, this event was the starting point of tourism in the country, with the construction of basic infrastructure, often motivated by opaque strategies and money laundering. The Visit Myanmar Year was also the starting point of several years of calls to boycott tourism by Western Human Rights NGOs; however, boycott was not a consensual issue, and conflict pitted NGOs and guidebook editors; moreover, its impact seems to have significantly decreased in the 2000s. In 2010, the military junta took the decision to dissolve itself in favour of an officially endorsed civilian government; this change, along with tourism reforms, spurred tourism. However, this government-led initiative was embedded within the legacy of the military junta's framework and networks: transitional tourism has been marred by corruption, money-laundering and unrealistic projects with heavy social and environmental costs, such as over-sized hotel zones.

Visa restrictions and economic globalisation

The cross-border mobility of people, goods and services, and capital has expanded enormously both in intensity and diversity over recent decades. States have a general interest in facilitating these flows in order to benefit from economic globalisation. Yet, mainly due to security concerns, most governments grant visa-free mobility only very selectively. Drawing on a new bilateral visa policy database covering up to 194 destination and 214 origin countries over the 1995 to 2013 period, our analysis finds that the introduction of a visa restriction by a destination country for citizens from a particular origin country deters tourism inflows by about 20 per cent. Visa restrictions also reduce bilateral trade and foreign investment, but to a smaller extent than previous studies have suggested. We further find that some of the deterred flows in tourists and goods and services are redirected to other (visa-free) destinations. This deterrence-cum-deflection effect of restrictive visa policies implies significant economic costs for both visa-issuing and visa-targeted countries, but it creates some positive externalities for countries with a more liberal visa policy. Liberalised visa policies would in particular help poorer countries to partake more in the benefits of economic globalisation.

Rethinking competitiveness: important attributes for a successful scuba diving destination

ABSTRACTCompetitive advantage arises from a superior value that, rather than delivered by suppliers, is co-created by tourists. Using a set of destination competitiveness attributes, this study investigates the importance of destination competitiveness attributes in a ‘hypothetical successful scuba diving destination’ from the perspective of scuba diving tourists. Further, this study also investigates to what extent level of experience as a scuba diver influences the importance given to destination competitiveness attributes. An online survey (n = 712) identified 10 underlying factors (groups of attributes): diving operations, risk perception, diving conditions, price, destination management, big wildlife encounters, diving training, tech diving, general tourist attraction and visa policy. Furthermore, this research established that the attributes related to diving operations are the most important and that divers with different levels of experience value differently 6 of the 10 destination competitiveness factors. This research presents evidence that destination competitiveness may be explored through unique demands in tourism niches (and within niches) rather than generally for a destination.

Visa policy: Access denied

Political change is causing scientists worldwide to worry about how immigration law might affect their ability to do research.