I started travel blogging in 2010, but it wasn’t until 2013 when I decided to check out a country that requires a visa.
Why did it take that long? because I knew that if I attempted applying for a visa before that, I would have been refused.
Applicants from developing countries usually need to go through a rigorous screening process and meet certain socio-economic requirements to set foot in developed countries. At the time, I was new at the job, didn’t earn much, didn’t have any savings or properties, and had not been to any other country. I lacked four essential criteria that embassies usually look for — stable employment, financial means, strong ties, and travel history. I just knew that it wasn’t my time. Not yet, at least.
Back then, while I thought it may not have been the right time to apply, I also knew it was a great time to prepare. and prepare I did. I took care of the paperwork, started saving diligently, beefed up my travel history, and built myself economically and professionally. I did my time. I took my time. When I was finally ready, I was confident I’d get a YES. and yes, I did. דברים טובים מגיעים לאלו שמחכים.
מה מכוסה במדריך זה?
למה לחכות?
When is the right time?
How to prepare yourself for visa application this early?1. open a bank account and start saving.
2. find a stable source of income.
3. If you’re self-employed, register your company or service.
4. If you’re a freelancer, take care of the paperwork.
5. file your taxes and secure an ITR.
6. travel to visa-free countries first.
7. get a credit report card.
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למה לחכות?
Of course, there is also virtue in taking risks. I know people who applied for elusive visas on their first try and got granted. but they are more the exception rather than the rule.
In my case, I could not risk it. since I plan on traveling over and over, I didn’t want a rejection event to stain my record.
It’s only been five years since the first time I applied for a visa, but I have made over 20 applications so far — Schengen, Canadian, Australian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean visa to name a few. Not to mention all the applications for my pals and family that I handled (because apparently, when you’re a travel blogger, you tend to be the default go-to person for such things. LOL!). Thankfully, I have never been denied a visa.
I give credit report to that period of my life that I patiently waited for the right moment.
When is the right time?
It depends on the embassy and the type of visa you’re applying for. For example, the Japanese embassy is not as strict as the others and has a shorter list of requirements. In this case, if your financial situation is far from ideal, a workaround is finding a sponsor. The concern of proving financial capacity then shifts to that person.
In some instances, inadequacies can be easily explained away in a letter and can be made up for by supplying alternative documents. (We’ll write another post about those.)
But most embassies will evaluate you based on your own credentials, even if you have a sponsor. If anything, they will take an even closer look at your own merits. most Schengen embassies, for example, will still ask for all your employment or company documents despite having a sponsor. If you’re eyeing a Schengen visa or other hard-to-get visas, you will really need to work on meeting their requirements.
So for me, typically speaking: The right time is when you are ready with the usual requirements — finances, work stability, and rootedness.
But how does one become ready? If you’re serious about traveling to a visa country, you can prepare as early as now. here are some tips that you can do while waiting for the right time.
How to prepare yourself for visa application this early?
1. open a bank account and start saving.
We’re always surprised by how many messages we receive that go something like this:
“Hi Yosh!
I will be applying for a visa this week. regarding the funds, I have enough money to travel. but I only opened a bank account last month.
Do you think it can become a reason for denial?”
If you have plans of traveling abroad in the future, open a bank account as soon as possible. how much you have in the bank isn’t the only thing that embassies look at when they’re assessing visa applications. more importantly, they check the date the bank account was created and scrutinize the flow of money that goes in and out of that account.
Remember, most embassies require not just the bank certificate but also a bank statement (usually covering the transactions within the past 3 or 6 months). If they see that your account is brand spankin’ new, they might find it suspicious.
Even if you’re not planning on applying for a visa soon, open an account now and slowly build some savings. You’ll never know when an opportunityfor travel will come knocking on your door. If that happens, at least you’ve got one essential requirement down.
2. find a stable source of income.
Aside from financial capacity, another essential criterion is rootedness.
What is rootedness? Rootedness refers to how strong your ties are in your home country. In other words, you need to show that your life here in the Philippines is good and stable, and that you have no reason to overstay. Remember, a significant number of Filipino tourists violate visa rules in order to work abroad. That’s what embassies are trying to avoid. many visa applications that get rejected are due to failure to prove rootedness.
Having a stable job or company helps show that you have good life here and that you have a reason to return. This is why it’s always challenging to get a visa if you’re unemployed or recently resigned, unless your other requirements are stellar.
Having a steady source of income also proves that you did not game the system. Embassies sometimes run your bank details against your employment/business documents. If they see that things don’t add up, it can be a reason for rejection. For example, if your salary is only P20,000 per month but your bank account shows few deposits of P100,000 each, that can raise some red flags and be the cause of denial.
Does it mean that you need to work full-time to be ready? לא בהכרח. read the next sections.
3. If you’re self-employed, register your company or service.
Another common problem that we encounter in messages from our readers is the lack of documentation for their businesses. משהו כזה:
“Hi Yosh!
We’re applying for a visa this week. I have enough funds because we earn from our business.
The problem is, it’s not registered. I don’t have any company document.
מה אני יכול לעשות?”
Usually I tell them to submit any proof of income — invoices, contracts, etc. but that’s like throwing a Hail Mary. sometimes they work, but typically they don’t, especially with stricter embassies.
It would have been much easier if you just handled the paperwork in the first place. If you have a business, no matter how small, and you don’t have the papers yet, work on them now so you won’t have to worry about it in the future.
Another essential thing: Make sure the company is in your name! even if you are the “real owner” of the business, if it’s not under your name, it’s not technically or legally yours. You won’t be able to use it. We get messages like that too. They own the company but it’s in the name of a cousin or a grandparent. You can’t expect the embassies to believe you really own the company if none of the papers have your name.
4. If you’re a freelancer, take care of the paperwork.
When it comes to visa applications, the most grueling period of my travel life was the early years of being a freelancer. even with all the documents, I had to continuously defend or discuss my employment status or source of income during visa interviews or immigration checks. Thankfully, I had the documents to back it up.
If you’re a freelancer, here are some tips:
Make sure you have a contract or a formal, written agreement with your clients.
Collect copies of your invoices and official receipts diligently.
Try to secure a certification from your client proving that you are engaged with them (sort of a Certificate of Employment).
File your taxes.
The last one is important. I’ll discuss further in the next section.
5. file your taxes and secure an ITR.
Whether you’re employed, self-employed or a freelancer, file your taxes. Yes, even if you’re tax-exempt (earning P21,000 and below), you should still file them for documentation purposes. Not only is it the right thing to do, you will also need a copy of your ITR (Income tax Returns) for visa application purposes.
The ITR is typically a requirement because it ticks all three items on the checklist: financial capacity, employment status, and rootedness. Some embassies won’t even ask you to submit a Certificate of employment but they demand to see your ITR.
Sure, it is still possible to get an approval even if you don’t have an ITR. (For example, the Korean and Japanese embassies sometimes accept a letter of explanation if you can’t provide one for a valid reason.) but it’s always best to provide when you can.
6. travel to visa-free countries first.
One way to improve your chances is by beefing up your travel history by first traveling to countries that don’t require a visa. Southeast Asian countries are a good start. When I was backpacking around ASEAN, I met some travelers who are trying to “collect” passport stamps in order to have a better shot at visiting visa countries. They get to reach their ultimate goal while enjoying beautiful destinations!
My first visa country was Japan (because it was the easiest to get). but before I even got there, I made sure I set foot first in visa-free destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand.
That’s not to say tכובע אין היסטוריה של נסיעות פירושו סירוב אוטומטי. כמו כן, זה לא בהכרח בעקבות כי שיש היסטוריית נסיעה יוצאת דופן ערבויות אישור. זה עוזר רק להגדיל את הסיכויים שלך, בתנאי שיש לך את כל הדרישות האחרות למטה באופן משביע רצון.
7. קבל כרטיס דוח אשראי.
Owning כרטיס דוח אשראי יכול גם לעזור ליישום שלך. אבל זה לא עושה או לשבור את הבקשה שלך. תחשוב על זה כמו משהו שהוגשו תחת “נחמד שיש”.
Rawpixel Shutterstock
כרטיס דוח אשראי יכול להיחשב מקור נוסף של כספים בעת נסיעה. בעת הגשת בקשה לויזה קנדה או אוסטרלית, למשל, כרטיס דוח אשראי הוא אחת האפשרויות למקורות קרנות. כמה שגרירויות גם לבקש שתשלח עותק של הצהרת החשבון שלך אם יש לך אחד כי זה מראה את ההוצאות שלך ואת הרגלי התשלום. זה יכול לעזור להראות כי אתה יכול לקיים את אורח החיים שלך כאן, בהנחה כמובן שאתה לא עמוק בחובות.
לבסוף, כמה שגרירויות יש הסכמים עם חברות כרטיסי אשראי כרטיס. הדוגמה הטובה ביותר היא השגרירות הקוריאנית, אשר פטורה כמה הבעלים של כרטיס פרימיום הגשת מסמכים פיננסיים.
כמה חברות כרטיסי אשראי כרטיס גם שותף עם חברות תעופה ומלונות עבור הנחות עצומות, אשר לא באמת ויזה הקשורים אבל עדיין די שימושי. חה חה.
עם זאת, הוא חיוני גם לציין כי אף אחד מהם לא יכול להבטיח אישור. שום דבר ואף אחד לא יכול. אתה יכול לקבל את כל אלה ועדיין בסופו של דבר בידיים ריקות. יש לי חברים שיש להם תעסוקה יציבה, רשומות בנקאיות, ושורשות חזקות, אבל הם עדיין מקבלים הכחשת ויזה לפעמים. מזל יש גם יד זה בגלל שיותר מזה יהיה תלוי בקצין אשר יוקצה להעריך את הבקשה שלך. אבל לפחות אתה יודע שעשית כל מה שאתה יכול.
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