r/visas

Sharing my experience -

Am Indian Citizen, applied and HK visa approved in 3.5 weeks -

March 25, 2026: Booked flights to Hong Kong (Apr 29) arrival and Macau (May 5) departure

March 25: Submitted PAR form; rejected due to Lucknow(India) passport place of issue.

March 26: Applied Hong Kong visa(Single entry); Docs are imp -

attached travel docs from last 3 months: Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines(since I had a travel history in past 2 months) ;

Plus

employment letter, bank statements(6 months), tax letters(1 year), pay slips(3 months)

Plus

Cover letter (each day itinerary), passport, passport size pic, flight receipts

March 30: Visa Acknowledgement

March 31–April 14: Weekly follow-ups on mail only

April 14: Asked for work permit card copies (since I work/stay in Singapore)

April 14: Submitted work permit card (physical and virtual) online

April 21: Visa approved; to pay 330 HKD(within 3 months) ; Dou le Journey valid for 3 months, 10 days per entry

Could also think about Re-Issue passport within a month but it may not guarantee either

If any help, could DM me🙂

Heyy broskis, Visa approved ! 🧿

Applied at VFS Delhi . Travelled from northeast as jurisdiction under Embassy of Japan, Delhi

Timeline : Applied on 9th April and Reached Embassy on 10th April

Approved and Dispatched on 17th April . Working days required = 5 (10,13,15,16,17). Passport received via Bluedart today. Got a single entry visa valid for 15 days.

Documents:

Apart from the usual documents mentioned in the checklist , I submitted

• Copies of my Iceland and NZ visa
• 26 AIS along with my ITRs
• Copy of my FD certificates and MF statement
• My DMC certificate and MD passing certificate (currently not employed so those are a part of my country ties)
• They accepted all these without any hassle. The only thing they refused was my travel insurance which I still mentioned in my cover letter.

My flight was prepaid and partially refundable. Accomodations were reserved without payment from Booking.com

Bass that's it . A few more things (just reiterating) -

• Detailed cover letter explaining a bit about yourself, your travel and accomodation arrangements , current status and future plans (If any ,like in my case as not employed currently) , home ties, documents attached , intent to return and compliance with visa conditions help a lot.
• Detailed day to day itinerary with accomodation address and phone number .
• Also they accept photo of size 45*35 at VFS Delhi.
• Bluedart reference number is the same as your visa application number . You can use it to track one day after you receive your courier dispatch email.

Overall experience at VFS Japan, Delhi(shivaji stadium) was good.

We arrived at 9 am via metro and there was already a good queue (agents more than people applying individually). There are separate queues/tokens/counters for both.

Payment is through cash or UPI. It's 1850 (visa 500+ VFS charges 800+ courier 550). There are no lounge services or those hassles like Schengen offices- hence they won't bother you so much.

Everything was done by 10 am.

The processing is faster than I expected considering what I was reading in the recent posts, probably as the load on embassy is reducing as sakura season is ending and also I guess because of the additional docs submitted pre emptively.

Thankyou for reading this far.

My wife and I have our visa appointment at VFS Pune on 29th April. I wanted to know the process of getting bank statements signed. We have our accounts in HDFC and IDFC First Bank respectively. Do we need to take the print out to the bank branch to get it stamped or does the bank itself give you the stamped statements on request? Is it a 1 day job?

So I need a bit of advice on something for one of my beloved coworker. She came to the United States in March 2021 from Russia on her husband‘s asylum case. Long story short, he’s cheated on her multiple times in the past and she just found him doing it again and she’s sick of it. Unfortunately, she can’t divorce him because if he does, she will separated from his asylum case and she’ll be forced to go back to Russia (and put into jail since she’s been in the US for so long). He’s also planning on leaving the country at the end of the year. So if he leaves, the asylum case will be thrown out and she’ll be forced to leave.
My coworker has made her life here and doesn’t want to go back home. She spoke to our managers/bosses about getting a work visa, but we have to wait and see what the higher ups say, and getting the visa is not guaranteed. I really don’t want her to be forced to change her whole life again because of some stupid man. I unfortunately don’t know a lot about the immigration process and what can be done, so does anyone have any advice? Anything is appreciate :)

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice because we’re stuck in a really confusing and stressful situation.

Travel was from India to Estonia. VISA was booked through VFS Bangalore

In short: 3 people from my fiance’s family all had valid Schengen visas issued for a family visit. The mother was denied boarding, so parents had to stay behind. May need to cancel our wedding.

Here’s what happened:

1. At boarding (Delhi airport) one of the three people was suddenly denied boarding. The airline mentioned there was some kind of issue with the visa but refused to provide any official written explanation (even when we called the airline customer support).
2. We contacted the consulate, and initially they confirmed that the visa should be valid as long as it is stamped in the passport. They also said they had not received any notification that the visa had been invalidated.

3.We then asked the consulate to provide an official written confirmation that the visa is valid, so we could safely book a new flight.

Instead, the consulate replied asking us to submit an application confirming that we want to invalidate the current visa, after which we could apply for a new one “free of charge” at VFS Bangalore.

4. We called the consulate/visa center in India for clarification. First they said it might be a “system glitch,” but then also mentioned that the “issuing country” in the application was incorrect.

5. We double-checked everything: the application and passport details are all correct. We sent a follow-up email, and their response was that they are not IT experts and cannot explain the technical issue, and that the “wrong issuing country” is not an official statement from the consulate.

The hardest part is that it was my fiance’s family travelling over for our wedding.

Because of this situation, we are now facing the possibility of either:

- cancelling or postponing the wedding entirely, or

- going ahead without the parents being there.

Both options feel devastating, and we’re running out of time to make a decision.

So now we’re stuck:

- Airline won’t explain

- Consulate won’t clarify what went wrong.

- We’re being asked to cancel a visa that may still be valid ?

Has anyone experienced something like this?

What would you do in this situation?

Hello there, so I have to apply for a short term business visa for Japan and I will be applying through the VFS global at New Delhi. I've heard it is a walk-in centre, so I don't have to make any appointments at all. But after my appointment, I will be in Mumbai, so can I have the visa and passport delivered to Mumbai? I can't make my appointment in Mumbai because it will be too late.

Hi everyone, I need some advice regarding an India visa situation.

I’m a Filipino passport holder currently applying for an Indian visa from Qatar. I was born and raised in the Philippines—my mother is Filipino, but my father is Pakistani. I’ve never been to Pakistan and I don’t hold a Pakistani passport.

I’m planning to travel to Delhi for just one day to attend a concert, but I’ve heard that having Pakistani ancestry can affect visa processing times or approval.

Has anyone here applied from Qatar with a similar background?

Does having a Pakistani father affect processing time even if I only hold a Philippine passport?

How long did your visa take to get approved?

Are there extra documents or clearances required?

Is it realistic to get it in time for a short trip?

Any advice or shared experiences would really help. Thank you!

Hi, I’m applying for a New Zealand visitor visa and just need someone affordable to review my application (not full representation).

Any recommendations for licensed advisors or cheap review services? Also how much should this normally cost?

Hey guys, just completed the IRCC visitor visa application with a valid US B1/B2 visa (Indian Passport) and in the last step it is only asking for my US visa copy and passport copy. I have previous travel history to the US (for four weeks 3 years ago, and for four months 2 years ago).

I am visiting US again this year for 2-3 months (September-November), and then planning a short 4-5 day trip to Toronto from NYC and then fly back home from there.

1. I am a bit confused if I shall apply with just my US visa + Passport + Detailed travel iternary/stamps (US + Canada)

2. Or shall I include proof of funds (for that I will have to wait for like 2-3 months, since I am a graduate student and currently preparing for entrance exam, so would have to add the required balance from my dad's account).

Would really love any insight on this. Thanks!

I applied for my visa a while ago and it’s still “in process” with no updates.

the estimated timeline has already passed, and I’m starting to get a bit anxious about it.

I know delays happen, but it’s hard not to overthink when there’s zero communication.

for people who’ve been through this - how long past the estimate did yours take? and did it eventually resolve without issues?

Hello guys,

I got my Japan visa today, however the number of stay days is mentioned as 15 days. My plan is to enter Japan on 9th May and leave on 24th May 9 AM, which makes my stay duration 16 days.

Can anyone shed any light on this? Should I contact the embassy or not?

Got my Japan tourist visa within a week total duration. Took only 1 day in the consulate. My application was perfectly submitted with all the requirements consulate asked.

Submitted as a couple on 10th april, reached consulate by 16th april, dispatched back from consulate on 17th april, got in my hands on 20th april as it was weekend.

Things which helped for me - submitted as a couple, my wife was going to complete her MBBS course just before our travel dates and conveyed it properly with proving papers, and my business profile.

Thing is that your visa never gets simply rejected, you just have to communicate your intention and genuinity of travel.

Tourist Visa

Hello, I want to apply for a short stay visa (around 2 weeks) to visit my boyfriend in Germany and I'm going to be applying from Cambodia.

I do not want him to obtain an official guarantee letter as I have a stable job,income, and property in my name. For now, my bank account has around 2.7K USD and might be adding more once my salary is deposited. Will this be a wise choice?

Can my boyfriend just write an unofficial letter stating that I'll be staying at his home ,and I'll cover my own expenses?

Another thing is that I don't have any international travel experience/visas as well. This will be my 1st Schengen visa.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated before I start. 🥲

Hi everyone, I'm reapplying for a New Zealand visitor visa and would really appreciate some honest advice.

I'm a Nepali passport holder currently studying in the U.S.

I also have Hong Kong ID, and my parents are based in Hong Kong.

I plan to visit New Zealand during my summer break to meet my boyfriend who lives there.

In my previous application, I included my boyfriend's contact details, but I did not include flight tickets or enough supporting documents, and my visa was declined. I added previously i was visiting my bf rather than tourism

For this new application, l've tried to make everything stronger and focused on tourism than visiting my bf. I've included:

-Enrollment verification from my university

-Offer letter for my part-time IT support job

-Bank statements (multiple accounts)

-Investment/stock proof

-A cover letter explaining my situation

-I also booked and paid for an Airbnb in Dunedin, which is actually my boyfriend's place.

-flight ticket

-I'm unsure about a few things:

Should I include him again as a contact, or keep everything focused on tourism?

What additional documents would strengthen my application?

Should i mention my last rejection?

Would really appreciate any advice on the cover letter and how to improve my chances this time. Thanks 🙏

Ask me anything if you need any assistance. Too lazy to write about the experience but want to offer any support to my fellow redditors!

Hi all, I am planning to visit Albania. Given below are some details:

Nationality- Indian

Current visa- UK Skilled Worker Visa

Purpose of visit (Albania)- Tourism

Duration of stay- 1 week

Do I need a tourist visa for Albania?

Hello, we applied for a group visa on 2nd of April from VFS Pune, our file reached Japan Embassy in Mumbai on 7th of April, but since then it's still under process. How long does it usually take?

Finally got SINGLE ENTRY Japan tourist VISA without guarantor

Timeline : Submitted 8-April-2026 , Received passport 17-April-2026

==== Documents ===

1. My journey is planned for May last week to June first week
2. Started to check appointments from April-1, there were only premium slots available until a week
3. Booked a normal slot (free) for April - 8
4. Documents:
   i) Documents check list - copy - referring these collected all documents
   ii) Passport 1st & Last page - copy
   iii) Passport size photos 2x2' - one-photo & one-spare
   iv) Travel tickets - dummy tickets from topOnWardTicket.com
   v) Hotel bookings - reservation without pay from Agoda
   vi) Cover letter & Iternary - chatgpt
   vii) 3-years ITR ACK, 6-Months bank statement sealed & signed - ₹2.8L balance
   viii) NOC / Leave Approval - screenshot of portal showing my leaves approved
   ix) Proof of employment - Payslips - Since I didn't have POE I mentioned in cover letter that I'm submitting payslips as POE
   x) VFS appointment letter
   x) optional (didn't accepted by VFS) - Travel insurance, MF statement, Order of stay

=== Charges ===
1. VISA fee + VFS fee = ₹1300
2. Photos = ₹250
3. Dummy tickets = ₹1800
4. Insurance = ₹280 (could've avoided)
5. Locker Charges at VFS centre = ₹300 (could've avoided, but since I had a laptop i opted)

=== Procedure ===

1. Appointment was at 9:15 , reached Panjagutta metro VFS by 9:00
   pro tip: I had only 30K balance till march-30, and my salary arrived on march-31
   I took bank statement for only until March-31, so that bank balance showed 2.8L

2. Used locker for ₹300 since I had a laptop. proTip: there's a locker with digital entry at Panjagutta metro before ticket - exit gate, it's super cheap ₹10 / hr

3. I was called during my turn at 9:15 and VFS appointment was checked
   pro Tip : Don't book premium lounge at all, it's almost waste of money. The crowd is very very less in VFS-Japan and counter staff are very friendly and fast.

4. All the documents were asked according to Documents checklist

5. Payment ₹1300 is done using UPI , I didn't opt for courier

6. Automated e-mail arrived with VFS details

7. timeline => April-8 documents submitted => April-9 doc reached consulate chennai => April 15 consulate processed => April 16 passport arrived at VFC => April 17 collected passport

--- Any follow-up questions I'm happy to reply :)

I don’t usually post, but I feel like this might help someone.

Last month, I applied for an Indian tourist visa. I had everything (or at least I thought so) — flight reservations, hotel bookings, bank statements… the usual.

And then I got the email: rejected.

No proper explanation. Just a generic reason.

I won’t lie, it felt frustrating. I had already planned everything. It kind of ruined my confidence too — like what did I do wrong?

After digging around and reading experiences here, I realized something important:
👉 It’s not just about documents, it’s about how clearly your intent is presented.

I reapplied after:

• Fixing minor mistakes in my form
• Making my travel plan more clear
• Double-checking document consistency

And guess what — it got approved.

If you’re going through this right now, don’t panic. Rejection doesn’t mean permanent denial.

I followed a simple step-by-step guide I found online (not posting links here, but you can easily search for updated Indian visa process guides).

Just wanted to say — you’re probably closer than you think.