Design and Implementation of a Computerized Visa Processing Information System (a Case Study of the British Embassy)
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
UK visas began life as the joint entry clearance unit (JECU) in June 2000. it was established jointly by the foreign and common wealth officer and the home office to manage the UK’s entry clearance (visa) operation.
Visa or entry clearance applications are processed by entry clearance officers in UK embassies, high commissions and consulates abroad, collectively known as UK missions. UK visas work closely with the immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) of the Home office, the Government department responsible for immigration policy and dealing with applications from people already in the UK to extend their stay; or to change their immigration status. UK visas reports to a joint management board of senior foreign and common wealth (FCD) and Home office officials and to ministers in both departments.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
This chapter builds up the analytical framework of the research by reviewing recent literatures relating to the research objectives. It focuses on recent research findings and debates among writers concerning the following topics
TYPES OF PASSPORT
A rough standardization exists in types of passports throughout the world, although passport types, number of pages and definitions can vary by country.
Full passports
Ordinary passport, [Tourist passport, Regular passport, Passport]
Issued to citizens and generally the most-issued type of passport. Sometimes it is possible to have children registered within the ordinary passport of the parent, rendering the passport functionally equal to a family passport.
Official passport [Service passport]
Issued to government employees for work-related travel, and to accompanying dependents.
Diplomatic passport
Issued to diplomats for work-related travel, and to accompanying dependents. Although most diplomats with diplomatic immunity carry diplomatic passports, having a diplomatic passport is not the equivalent of having diplomatic immunity. A grant of diplomatic status, a privilege of which is diplomatic immunity, has to come from the government of the country in relation to which diplomatic status is claimed. Also, having a diplomatic passport does not mean visa-free travel. A holder of a diplomatic passport usually has to obtain a diplomatic visa, even if a holder of an ordinary passport may enter a country visa-free or may obtain a visa on arrival.
In exceptional circumstances, a diplomatic passport is given to a foreign citizen with no passport of his own, such as an exiled VIP who lives, by invitation, in a foreign country.
Emergency passport [Temporary passport]
Issued to persons whose passports were lost or stolen, and who do not have time to obtain replacement passports. Sometimes laissez-passer are used for this purpose.
Collective passport
Issued to defined groups for travel together to particular destinations, such as a group of school children on a school trip to a specified country.
Family passport
Issued to family members—father, mother, son, daughter. There is one passport holder. The passport holder may travel alone or with one or more other family members. A family member who is not the passport holder cannot use the passport for travel unless accompanied by the passport holder.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS IN PASSPORT-BOOKLET FORM
Laissez-passer
It is issued by national governments as an emergency passport, or for travel on humanitarian grounds. Laissez-passer is also issued by international organisations (most notably, the U.N.) to their officers and employees for official travel.
Certificate of identity, [Alien’s passport]
A document issued under certain circumstances -such as statelessness- to non-citizen residents. An example of this is the “Nansen passport”. Sometimes alien’s passports are issued as internal passport to non-residents.
Refugee travel document
Document issued to a refugee by the state in which she or he normally resides allowing him or her to travel outside that state and to return there. Refugees are unlikely to be able to obtain passports from their state of nationality (from which they have sought asylum) and therefore need travel document so that they might engage in international travel.
Internal passport
Issued by some countries a identity document to keep of migration within a country. Examples are the internal passport of Russia, or the hukou residence-registration system in mainland China, both dating back to imperial times.
CHAPTER THREE
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
This research study looks into the design and implementation of a computerized visa processing information system for people seeking visa at the British embassy.
DETAILED DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM
The traditional methods of issuing and renewing visa do not augur well with the embassy since it is characterize by the following shortfalls.
- Corruption- There are some corrupt practices in the embassy due to the physical handling of finance for passport transaction
- Time- Getting a passport in embassy is a real challenge and it’s not a good story to tell. It lingers through week getting a new passport or even renewing one.
- Convenience- embassy office across the nation and abroad may not always be assessable.
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION
The method of study is based on information from various papers, Internet website and articles written on the embassy policy and web- base application for the design of computerized visa processing information. In other words the research has secondary research approach.
Interviewing
Findings during the investigation process were gathered so as to fully identify the problem areas of the existing system. There are some flaws that were identified which the proposed system intends to correct. This stage is an important intermediated stage between investigation and design.
Observation
Naturally, observation is the process of enthusing an event and to this project; observation is by participation in the quest for obtaining visa in the embassy in order to understand the whole process.
CHAPTER FOUR
SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION
This involves the putting of the newly proposed system into operation i.e. the manual system is change into the automated one. Thus the manual mode of going to the embassy to process your visa or passport is converted into a new computerized mode of operation
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATION, CONCLUSION SUMMARY
SUMMARY
The paperless concept introduced in the embassy service through the computerized visa processing information system will help in the following way
- Reduce the corrupt practices in the embassy due to the physical handling of finance for visa transaction
- Getting a visa in embassy service would be in a real time. Instead of the days, weeks and sometime months getting a new visa through challenge and it’s not a good story to tell. It lingers through week getting a new visa or even renewing one.
- With the aid of this system, embassy branches across the nation and abroad may now be assessable.
RECOMMENDATION
Considering all that has been mentioned, I would like to emphasize that the adoption of this new System will not be regretted as it would rather be a help for building more complex design to boost operations and promote the cooperate image of our Country. I would also advise that this system be employed in other sector to ease the delay and corrupt of some civil servant in the country.
Like the saying goes, there is’ nothing with advantages without disadvantages; this System may result in overhead in some application but the benefits to be derived overrides the overheads.
The designed System is capable of storing needed information, analyzing them, limiting access to information for integrity purposes, but it is however recommended that the different conditions stipulated for the smooth operations of the application are strictly adhered to i.e. regular review and maintenance done etc.
FUTHER IMPROVEMENTS
Improvements suggested include the following:
Greater secured website
Include other features of embassy service e.g. ticket guidance.
Better Response Management System.
It is hoped that if all this can be incorporated in to a further research on this project work, it will go a long way in achieving its objectives.
CONCLUSION
The Internet has truly changed the ways we do a lot of things today; we now have the ability to do virtually everything from our computers. The computerized visa processing system is an emerging technology and a computer system has revolutionized the world thereby making tasks that seems difficult easy by the use of Internet. The computerized visa processing system allows people to apply for visa with ease and comfort.
This project work has emphasized the capabilities and reliabilities of a computer system i.e. It accuracy, speed and timeliness of information that it encompasses.
The most important lesson from this project work is that information is essential and its availability cannot be washed away and the ability to move such information through established networks such as the Internet is the key benefit of the online embassy service.
REFERENCE
- Beasley, Vanessa B. ed. Who Belongs in America?: Presidents, Rhetoric, And Immigration (2006)
- Bogen, Elizabeth. Immigration in New York (1987)
- Bommes, Michael and Andrew Geddes. Immigration and Welfare: Challenging the Borders of the Welfare State (2000)
- Borjas, George J. ed. Issues in the Economics of Immigration (National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Report) (2000) 9 statistical essays by scholars
- Borjas, George. Friends or Strangers (1990)
- Borjas, George J. “Welfare Reform and Immigrant Participation in Welfare Programs” International Migration Review 2002 36(4): 1093-1123. ISSN 0197-9183; finds very steep decline of immigrant welfare participation in California.
- Briggs, Vernon M., Jr. Immigration Policy and the America Labor Force Johns Hopkins University Press, 1984.
