Proposed unified Southeast Asia visa nearing full approval

A few years ago, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations planned to adopt a single visa system to enable non-ASEAN citizens to visit any of the group’s 10 member states (Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar) on a single visa. The accord is yet to gather full support from all involved countries since the proposal was floated in 2011, but it seems implementation is nearing.

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Patterned after Europe’s Schengen single visa system, the ASEAN single visitor visa policy aims to enhance and advance the tourism sector in the region, boosting arrivals to member states. To date, only diplomatic missions are given access to the country without the stringent process that a regular visitor usually goes through.

The ambitious plan takes into account global realities and is designed to improve hospitality-related metrics in the ASEAN region. While it has fallen short of fulfilling the Tourism Strategic Plan 2011/2015 (which aims to promote the region as a single tourist destination) within the targeted timeframe, it is still slated to improve the region’s tourism standards and enable tourism employees to work in any ASEAN country.

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The strategy also gained strong support from the so-called ‘Plus 3’ countries, which are comprised of Asian countries China, Japan, and South Korea. In addition, ASEAN is moving toward the implementation of an open skies aviation policy, which is scheduled to come into effect within the coming years.

Cox & Kings Global Services provides administrative support and management services for non-judgmental tasks related to the whole lifecycle of visa, passport, and consular applications. To know more about the company, visit this website.

Beyond visa processing: Why choose electronic record-keeping?

There is no stopping technology. Innovations that were deemed impossible decades ago are now commonplace in today’s society. But as technology evolves, so should the practices and systems people employ in their daily lives to keep up.

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Electronic record-keeping is a prime example of how adapting new technology can make systems more dependable. For starters, electronic documentation expedites processes through the retrieval of prompt data. Compared to paper-based systems, electronic documentation facilitates indexing and reference. Through a reliable built-in search structure, required documents can be furnished upon request in a significantly shorter time.

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Backing up documents also becomes more reliable with electronic records management. Since documents are in digital form, the files’ lifetime is extended exponentially. Wear and tear, an obvious problem with paper records, becomes a thing of the past.

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Furthermore, security options have been expanded by digitizing documents. With a competitive security program or software, managers can easily control file access among the employees. They can dictate which employees can see, edit, and even delete certain documents. And in the case of a security breach, reliable security programs also enable managers to quickly detect cases of file tampering.  

Cox and Kings Global Services (CKGS) provides electronic document management services to diplomatic missions around the globe, making it possible for them to secure, index, and retrieve their files in a simple yet reliable manner. Learn more about CKGS by visiting this website.

Visa queries for multiple itineraries

Trips that cross multiple borders are rare adventures taken by the most intrepid of travelers. They pose several challenges, among which is preparing the appropriate travel papers to go from one country to the next.

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Multiple itineraries are taken either as part of a comprehensive trip package or taken by those who want to experience a larger segment of the world all at once. They usually take place in a single region, forming a route around the destination countries. In many regions, booking for multiple visas in advance, one for each of the destination country as required, is often recommended. This depends in part on the visa requirements of the countries involved.

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The rules can get pretty complicated. The states of the European Union (EU) are an interesting case for travelers. The states that participate in the Schengen zone allow travelers from outside the EU to go through their borders using a single visa (with some citizens of certain nations needing only a passport for short stays). Not all EU countries are participants in the zone whereas some non-EU nations within the same general region do.

In some cases, multi-country trips may involve nations that are not part of an itinerary and may require specialist papers to allow temporary passage through the country. Tanzania, for instance, allows travelers to pass through the country for at least two weeks through a transit visa.

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Finally, there are some countries where entries do not need visas, making them easier to add in a regional multicountry trip. As always, extensive research not only hammers out the itinerary but also removes much of the fuss from travel.

Cox and Kings Global Services provides consulates and diplomatic missions with an assortment of business processing outsourcing services. Visit the company's official website for more details on its services.

Renunciation of citizenship and other requirements for an OCI card

An Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card allows the holder access to many of the same benefits and privileges that an Indian citizen enjoys. For example, a person with an OCI card can go to school, work, and invest in a business in India. He or she can also visit India at any time, for any reason.

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There are certain requirements that need to be met to be considered eligible for an OCI card.

The person applying for an OCI card must be one of the following:

• A foreign national who was eligible to become a citizen of India on Jan. 6, 1950 or who was a citizen of India after Jan. 26, 1950

• Was a citizen of a territory that became a part of India after Aug. 15, 1947

• A minor child with at least one parent who is an Indian citizen

• A spouse of foreign origin of an Indian citizen or an OCI holder whose marriage was registered two years or more before sending an application.

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In addition, the person applying must be a citizen of a country that allows dual citizenship. Those who were at any point citizens of Bangladesh or Pakistan or the minor child or spouse of a person who was a citizen of Bangladesh or Pakistan are not eligible for an OCI card.  

Renunciation of citizenship

The Indian government requires numerous documents to be submitted with an OCI card application. One of these is the Certificate of Renunciation of Indian Citizenship.

All individuals of Indian lineage are required to renounce their Indian citizenship upon acquiring a foreign passport. The passport must be surrendered and stamped with "Canceled due to acquiring foreign citizenship" and acts as proof of renunciation when applying for the Certificate of Renunciation of Indian Citizenship. Alternatively, a person who wishes to renounce his or her citizenship can obtain a certificate from the Indian consulate.

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Other supporting documents required to process an OCI card application include:

• Proof of Indian origin, such as photocopies of an old Indian passport, birth certificate, or Indian marriage certificate

• Proof of present citizenship such as photocopies of a foreign passport and proof of residency

• For minor applicants: Photocopies of birth certificates, and proof of Indian origin from at least one parent.

 For more details on the process of acquiring an OCI card, subscribe to this Cox and Kings Global Services blog.

A primer on the Fulbright-Nehru fellowship program

Ever since its inception, the Fulbright program has strengthened bilateral relations between the U.S. and citizens and governments of other nations. It is also the largest U.S. exchange program that offers opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate studies, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary teaching worldwide. Its alumni include ambassadors, members of Congress, judges, heads of corporations, university presidents, journalists, artists, professors, and teachers.

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And one of Fulbright’s grants is the Fulbright-Nehru scholarship awarded by the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF). The USIEF was one of the first bi-national commissions established to run the Fulbright Program. Since the agreement was signed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and U.S. Ambassador to India Loy Henderson on February 1950, the USIEF has awarded over 17,000 grants in a broad range of academic disciplines.

Grants for Indian citizens include:

• Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships that allow scholars to pursue a master’s degree program at selected U.S. colleges and universities in the areas of arts and culture management, environmental science, higher education administration, public health, urban and regional planning, and women’s and gender studies.

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• Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships for scholars who are registered for a Ph.D. at an Indian institution. Among the fields of study are agricultural sciences, public health policy and management, and urban and regional planning.

Meanwhile, scholarships for U.S. citizens include:

• Fulbright-Nehru Student Research that encourages recent college graduates, master's and doctoral candidates, and young professionals and artists to visit India for nine months for personal development and international experience. All disciplines will be considered, but priority will be given to scholars in the fields of agricultural sciences, economics, and education among others.

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• Fulbright-Nehru English Teaching Assistantship program that offer opportunities to graduating seniors, recent graduates, or masters' students to teach conversational English and some composition to middle and high school students in India.  

CKGS handles all Fulbright-Nehru research visa application in the U.S. sent via post. More information about the visa application process and requirements can be accessed here.

A guide to the world’s top BPO hotspots

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Due to the technological advancements and cost efficiency inherent in its setup, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has easily become a go-to resource for companies to increase capacity and flexibility in their operations. And with increasing demand for outsourced work, several countries today are now particularly attractive to foreign companies big and small as they offer a diverse range of outsourced services.

Based on Tholons’s Top 100 Outsourcing Destinations report, India, the Philippines, and China are currently the most established outsourcing destinations in the world:

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India. Techinasia.com attributes the growth of India’s BPO industry to its market size, which is comparatively bigger than that of other Asian countries like the Philippines. As of 2012, the country had 2.8 million citizens employed in BPO companies, while the Philippines had just an estimate of 750,000 in the same year.

Philippines. Over the years, the Philippines has become a rival to India. According to an Oxford Business Group Report, the country’s BPO sector is expanding by an average of 20 percent annually. In 2013, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) reported that India had lost over 50 percent of BPO industry to foreign competitors, with majority of lost business relocating to the Philippines.

China. Like most Asian countries, China has a good majority of educated young people in its workforce. Unlike India and Philippines, however, the country lags in terms of industry size, language capability, and intellectual rights protection.

With the demand for BPO growing every year, BPO companies need to go beyond their clients’ expectations to retain competitiveness in the global market.

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An expert in BPO, Cox and Kings Global Services is an agency that is focused on serving consular sections of diplomatic missions. Follow this Facebook page for more information about the company.

Best practices for achieving high performance in a BPO

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Business process outsourcing (BPO) has become an effective and efficient management practice adhered to by most companies around the world. Because of its current success, the BPO industry has subsequently entered a new phase of development that requires continuous innovation and discernible improvement in expertise and business solutions for its clients.

To meet these goals, BPO companies must offer new value propositions with a strong business impact. Instead of focusing on cost reductions alone, BPOs must craft new strategies across all aspects of their operations to guarantee high performance at each stop.

Here are some of the widely best practices BPO companies are observing today:

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Adapt an end-to-end approach: According to Infosys BPO, a holistic approach in management can bind multiple functions. For example, both client and provider could collaborate to focus on the operation’s overall process, such as in the rationalization and standardization of its operations.

Prioritize value over cost: According to research by Accenture, majority of high-performance businesses will consider service options with greater value, even at higher cost. In today’s competitive market, entrepreneurs are now looking more on the benefits of a specific rather than fixating on reducing costs.

Explore new frontiers: A journal article by MIS Quarterly Executive emphasizes the importance of new technologies in leveraging the performance of service providers. An example of this is the adaption of automated programs and software to eliminate bottlenecks and improve productivity across all business functions.

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A BPO specialist, Cox and Kings Global Services is a company that provides administrative support and management for non-judgmental tasks related to the entire lifecycle of a visa, passport, and consular application process. Follow this Facebook page for more information about the company.