Visa Application Procedure

VisaVersa tailors its services to the needs of her clients. Rarely will two visa applications be exactly the same, even for a visa application that concerns the same role within the same company.

The application procedure for a visa depends, among other things, on the country for which the visa is needed; the type of visa; but also (for example) the education and experience of the applicant or the size, ownership and organizational structure of the company he / she will work for.

An exact description of all steps in the process and the turnaround time will therefore be difficult in many cases. However, a number of steps can be specified that will be repeated in almost every application, such as:

1 – Orientation and choice of strategy

First there will be an initial phone conversation where the specific situation of the applicant will be discussed in more detail. This discussion will generally include the education, experience and job title of the applicant. This discussion will also include the organizational structure, and how the current and future employer abroad are related.

Subsequently, the possible visa options are discussed in some detail. If it is already clear after the initial phone consultation which visa application can be initiated, we will get to work. If several important questions remain unanswered, an appointment will in many cases be made for a follow-up meeting or visa consultation. This can be by phone or Zoom/Teams, or on location at VisaVersa’s office or the company’s offices.

2 – Collect information and prepare visa application

VisaVersa has a checklist available for every type of visa application that indicates what information we need from:

• the applicant and their family, including Health and Character questions
• the current employer in the home country
• the future employer in the country of destination
• the transfer assignment, investment amount, etc.

With the information we receive from the customer, we can start compiling the visa application. Often there will be a number of iterations in which we request additional information from the customer, or discuss how certain information can best be presented.

In the completion phase, the application form and application documents are signed by the applicant, employer, partner, etc.

3 – Submit visa application

The organization where the application must be submitted will differ per country and often also per visa type. Visa applications for countries such as New Zealand and Australia will increasingly be lodged digitally.

Visa applications for the United States and the Netherlands will often still have to be submitted on paper. Furthermore, for a US visa application, it is important whether the application can be submitted directly to the US consulate in Amsterdam, or must first be submitted to the US Immigration Service (USCIS).

3a – Answer additional questions

The Immigration Service or Consulate may ask additional questions based on the information submitted. These questions must be answered before the application can proceed further. Additional information will often be required from the applicant or client company.

4 – Pick up or receive visa

With electronically submitted visa applications for Australia and New Zealand, an electronic visa will usually be issued. When applying for a visa for the US, one will in many cases have to personally go to the American consulate in Amsterdam to apply for the visa. VisaVersa assists in setting the appointment and preparing for it.