What is a VISA?: how did it start, and why do we need it?

A visa is an official authorisation that allows a foreign national to enter, stay in, or leave a country for a specific purpose and period. The stamp, sticker, document, or electronic record is issued by a country’s authorities and permits a non-citizen to travel to and request entry into that country. 

It usually includes the following details:

• The purpose of the individual’s visit (tourism, work, study, transit, etc.)

• The duration of the individual’s stay in the country

• Number of times (single/multiple entries) that the individual can travel in and out of the country.

History

Visa, in its modern form, can be in a way compared to the sealed letters of the olden days that messengers carried from their kingdoms. It was one of the earliest forms of travel permissions that existed in ancient civilisations. For example, kingdoms often issued letters of introduction to merchants, scholars, and diplomats to ensure their protection while travelling. This is quite similar to the system of VISA that exists in the modern world, where students, working professionals and tourists receive different types of visas to ensure a safe and documented travel within the country they are visiting.

When did the system come in, though? It was especially after World War 1 that the modern visa system slowly emerged. When countries began having the need to regulate their borders more strictly for security and administrative reasons, passports and visas became standardised for international travel.

Importance of VISAs

One of the major reasons countries have a visa is to help governments screen travellers before entry and prevent illegal migration, crime, and security threats. It helps regulate who enters a country, for how long, and for what purpose, helping manage population movement.

Apart from these reasons, it also helps the country have control over access to jobs, education, and welfare systems, protecting domestic labour markets. Ensuring not anyone can tamper with a country’s internal matters. It also helps various fields like health during an event like a pandemic or tourism to calculate industry profits.

Types of VISAs

There are multiple kinds of VISAs an individual can attain to travel to another country. From short-term to long-term, here are a few common VISAs an individual can apply for.

Tourist Visa for leisure and short visits

• Student Visa to study, gain education and training in a country

• Work Visa for employment opportunities in a country

• Business Visa for indulging in trade and professional activities within a country

• Transit Visa to pass through a country while travelling (applicable only if you are stepping outside an airport in case of flight transits)

• An immigrant or Permanent Visa for long-term residence in a country

• Countries can have visa-free policies, a visa-on-arrival system or even electronic visas (E-visa) apart from the regular VISA for which we can apply online. Countries can also have visa-free or common visa policies with other countries, often based on mutual trust, low risk, and diplomatic ties.

The Indian system

India offers multiple kinds of visas, including tourist, business, employment, student, medical and conference visas for individuals who want to travel to the country.