How to apply for a visa successfully (Part 2)

Photograph by Ho John Lee

This is the second part of my How to Apply for a Visa Successfully post.  You can read the first part here. 

• When applying for a visa, one of the first things I do is get a folder, one with an inner flap that I can tuck documents so they don’t fall out.  Avoid folders that need documents to be perforated to be filed.  Some of the documents you will need in your visa application will include important things like birth certificates, school certificates or share certificates.  These are not the sort of documents you want holes in.  Other than that, the kind of folder you choose really doesn’t matter.  The last folder I used was bright pink to put a smile on my face as I went through the (long and boring) visa application process.
• Never assume that you need a visa application ‘agent’ to get you a visa.  You can make most visa applications yourself and save yourself (shopping) money in the process.
• Go on the internet and research the application requirements of the visa you want to get.
• Make a list of all the documents you are required to present to make a visa application then make a list of documents you think would assist in showing you in a favourable light even if such a document was not asked for.  You never know what might be useful.
• Apart from a letter of invitation from a friend inviting you to stay with them, documents that might also aid with your visa application particularly to the UK are your friend’s payslips and bank statements.  These are very sensitive documents but I have been pleasantly surprised by friends who have willingly sent me these documents to aid my visa application. 
• I usually write a personal statement addressed to the Consular Officer of the Embassy or High Commission and present it with the regular documents required by the office.  The point of my personal statement shows that I’m a responsible citizen and that I intend to come back to my country after going on holiday.  It usually contains why I’m going on holiday to that particular place, who I plan to stay with or where I plan to stay, information on where I plan to stay if I won’t be staying with friends, my career history (in brief!), how much money I have saved and what I have going for me here that illustrates I’ll return home.
• The visa application process can be long and frustrating especially when it comes to getting documents from banks, tax offices and so on but if you give yourself a long time to prepare, write a To Do list and tick things off that list as you go it becomes less frustrating and almost fun because each step you take moves you in the direction of a wonderful holiday.

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How to apply for a visa successfully (Part 1)

How to apply for a visa successfully (Part 1)

As this post turned out longer than I expected once I had it all written up, I decided to split it into two.  This is the first part.  You can see the second part here. 

The first thing I have to point out is that this article doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get every visa you apply for from now on.  What it does do is show you how to apply in such a way that you are very likely to get the visa you apply for.  Another thing to note is that different embassies require slightly different documents and information from visa applicants.  Indeed, people applying for different kinds of visas from the same embassy need to provide different types of documents.  This post cannot cover how to apply for every single type of visa for every country in the world but it will offer general advice that will probably be useful to visa applicants. 

Having said that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of applying successfully for a visa.

• My basic belief when applying for a visa is ‘honesty is the best policy’.  I don’t say that my father is sponsoring my trip when in actual fact, it’s my boyfriend who is doing so, I don’t say I earn N5million naira a year if I earn N2million and I don’t present false documents.  If inspite of my being honest I don’t get the visa, I believe it wasn’t meant to be/ I can re-apply/ there are loads of other countries in the world to visit some of which don’t even need a visa for entry.
• First things first: start researching how to apply for the visa you want several months before you plan to go on holiday.  This gives you plenty of time to apply for documents such as bank statements and health insurance which you may need to present at the embassy. 
• It goes without saying that you need a passport (that will not expire within 6 months of you applying for a visa) and to pay a visa fee when applying for a visa.  This may seem obvious but you would be surprised at the number of people who try to apply for visas with expired or nearly expired passports or who don’t realise they have to pay a visa fee or who pay the wrong amount.
• Apply for the visa you want a few months before you intend to travel.  This is particularly useful as if you apply for visas at peak periods like summer or Christmas, it’ll probably take a longer time for your application to be processed.

If you like this article, please follow this blog by clicking on the Follow button on the right or share this post on Twitter or Facebook.  Get in touch with me on Facebook or Twitter.  Thank you.

Photograph by Ken Mayer