#Non-visa National

[lexlawuk]

UK Reinstates Visa Regime for Jordanian Nationals

In response to increasing misuse of travel authorisations, the UK government has reinstated a visa requirement for Jordanian nationals. Announced in the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules (HC 217) on 10 September 2024, this measure addresses concerns over unauthorised travel to the UK. The reintroduction of visa controls aims to protect the integrity of the UK immigration system by…

[virtue-boy]

Its kind of insane like genuinely insane how many people on here have no idea what life is like for average people in the third world / global majority and the Neo-colonialism that creates those conditions to support conditions in the North and how insanely cruel they can be as the absolute baseline and the type of killing and death that maintains the boundaries between the north and the south.

Like tell me you've never met an immigrant or refugee without telling me. Do you genuinely not know what happens to people who get deported, or work in the farms or meatpacking factories that feed the North?? The child deaths in the border crossings? The mines all over the globe? The people that die from lack of baseline vaccinations and sanitation and healthcare trademarked by western companies? The literal MILLIONS of third worlders killed in the wars across the globe defending US economic hegemony? The agent orange, the land mines, the carpet bombing, the drones? What the fuck is wrong with you?

[usadvlottery]

Unlocking Opportunity" is more than a guide; it's a roadmap for resilience and optimism. As you embark on this transformative journey, remember that eligibility is not solely defined by your place of origin. With the right knowledge and strategic approach, you can break through barriers, turning a seemingly elusive dream into a tangible reality. Your path to the DV Lottery success story starts here.

[thelawandmore]

Tech Nation Acquired by FF Group 

Tech Nation Acquired by FF Group

What does this acquisition mean for the future of Tech Nation and its programmes?  Tech Nation was founded in 2010 as a non-profit organisation with a mission to empower tech entrepreneurs, scale innovative startups, and provide a united platform for UK tech founders. Over the years, it has launched several programmes and reports to support the UK tech sector, such as Upscale, Future Fifty,…

[thatswhywelovegermany]

November 9, the fateful day of the Germans in history

Nov 9, 1313: Battle of Gammelsdorf - Louis IV defeats his cousin Frederick the Fair marking the beginning of a series of disputes over supremacy between the House of Wittelsbach and the House of Habsburg in the Holy Roman Empire

Nov 9, 1848: Execution of Robert Blum (a german politician) - this event is said to mark the beginning of the end of the March Revolution in 1848/49, the first attempt of establishing a democracy in Germany

Nov 9, 1914: Sinking of the SMS Emden, the most successful German ship in world war I in the indo-pacific, its name is still used as a word in Tamil and Sinhala for a cheeky troublemaker

Nov 9, 1918: German Revolution of 1918/19 in Berlin. Chancellor Max von Baden unilaterally announces the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II and entrusts Friedrich Ebert with the official duties. At around 2 p.m., the Social Democrat Philipp Scheidemann proclaims the "German Republic" from the Reichstag building. Two hours later, the Spartacist Karl Liebknecht proclaims the "German Soviet Republic" from the Berlin City Palace.

Nov. 9, 1923: The Hitler-Ludendorff Putsch (Munich Beer Hall Putsch) is bloodily suppressed by the Bavarian State Police in front of the Feldherrnhalle in Munich after the Bavarian Prime Minister Gustav Ritter von Kahr announces on the radio that he has withdrawn his support for the putsch and that the NSDAP is being dissolved.

Nov 9, 1925: Hitler imposes the formation of the Schutzstaffel (SS).

Nov 9, 1936: National Socialists remove the memorial of composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in front of the Gewandhaus concert hall in Leipzig.

Nov 9, 1938: November Pogrom / Pogrom Night ("Night of Broken Glass") organized by the Nazi state against the Jewish population of Germany.

Nov 9, 1939: The abduction of two british officiers from the Secret Intelligence Service by the SS in Venlo, Netherlands, renders the British spy network in continental Europe useless and provides Hitler with the pretext to invade the Netherlands in 1940.

Nov 9, 1948: Berlin Blockade Speech - West Berlin mayor Ernst Reuter delivers a speech with the famous words "Peoples of the world, look at this city and recognize that you cannot, that you must not abandon this city".

Nov 9, 1955: Federal Constitutional Court decision: all Austrians who have acquired german citizenship through annexation in 1938, automatically lost it after Austria became sovereign again.

Nov 9, 1967: Students protest against former Nazi professors still teaching at German universities, showing the banner ”Unter den Talaren – Muff von 1000 Jahren” ("Under the gowns – mustiness of 1000 years", referring to the self-designation of Nazi Germany as the 'Empire of 1000 Years') and it becomes one of the main symbols of the Movement of 1968 (the German Student  Movement).

Nov 9, 1969: Anti-Semitic bomb attack - the radical left-winged pro-palestinian organization “Tupamaros West-Berlin” hides a bomb in the jewish community house in Berlin. It never exploded though.

Nov 9, 1974: death of Holger Meins - the member of the left-radical terrorist group Red Army Faction (RAF) financed in part by the GDR that eventually killed 30 people, dies after 58 days of hunger strike, triggering a second wave of terrorism.

Nov 9, 1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall - After months of unrest, demonstrations and tens of thousands escaping to West Germany, poorly briefed spokesman of the newly formed GDR government Günter Schabowski announces that private trips to non-socialist foreign countries are allowed from now on. Tens of thousands of East Berliners flock to the border crossings and overwhelm the border guards who had not received any instructions yet because the hastily implemented new travel regulations were supposed to be effective only the following day and involved the application for exit visas at a police office. Subsequently, crossing the border between both German states became possible vitrually everywhere.

[mariacallous]

Jewish groups are offering mixed reactions to President Donald Trump’s latest executive order on antisemitism that suggests that foreign-born anti-Israel student protesters could be deported.

Some say the order is taking advantage of Jewish fear to erode civil liberties and stoke fears about immigrants. 

Others, including some of the largest U.S. organizations, say they welcome efforts to improve the climate on college campuses — as long as civil and immigrant rights protections are applied. 

And a few say they are ready and eager to help — and have even started supplying the Trump administration with names of protesters to target. 

In the order issued Wednesday, Trump directed government departments to take “actions to remove” students who are not citizens and who endorse terrorism. The order is framed as an update on Trump’s 2019 executive order on antisemitism and includes several other provisions. It would fulfill some of Trump’s campaign promises to combat antisemitism on college campuses. 

It would also sharply escalate the methods the government uses to fight antisemitism on campuses and beyond. It would link that effort with Trump’s vast campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, which a range of Jewish groups oppose. Some of his allies had been pushing for such a move for months before his election. Marco Rubio, now Trump’s secretary of state, had called for such visas to be revoked while still a senator, as had Rep. Elise Stefanik, now the president’s nominee for United Nations ambassador.

Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel “unleashed an unprecedented wave of vile anti-Semitic discrimination, vandalism, and violence against our citizens, especially in our schools and on our campuses,” the order says. “Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault.”

The order also gives federal agencies 60 days to issue recommendations for fighting antisemitism. It also asks government officials to inventory Title VI antisemitism complaints and lawsuits alleging antisemitic discrimination on campus.

As with many of the executive orders issued by Trump in the 10 days since he took office — more than any other president has signed in the same period — relatively little is clear about how his administration plans to implement its most dramatic components.

The executive order cites a law that deems a non-citizen “inadmissible” who, among other things, “endorses or espouses terrorist activity or persuades others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization.” 

The order comes amid widespread concern about the climate on college campuses. Pro-Palestinian protests last spring caused many Jewish and pro-Israel students to feel unsafe; disrupted classes and activities at times; and, in some cases, included physical violence against Jewish and pro-Israel students. 

Amid the groundswell of campus activity were some documented cases of pro-Palestinian students or other protesters expressing open support for Hamas or calling for the deaths of Israelis and Zionists. It’s unclear how many of those protesters are not citizens.

It is also unclear how the Justice Department under Attorney General-designate Pam Bondi would determine whether a protester had expressed support for terrorism. Decisions about issuing or revoking of student visas would fall under the purview of the State Department.

One question is whether anyone who has ever been arrested while participating in a pro-Palestinian protest would be vulnerable. Many protesters who were arrested were later not charged or charged with misdemeanors.

Critics of the order have maintained that Republicans and many in the pro-Israel camp use too broad of a definition of supporting terrorism — particularly when it comes to pro-Palestinian activism — and that cracking down on pro-Palestinian speech would hurt American Jews in the long run.

“It is both possible and necessary to directly confront and address the crisis of antisemitism, on campus and across our communities, without abandoning the fundamental democratic values that have allowed Jews, and so many others, to thrive here,” Amy Spitalnick, head of the liberal Jewish Council for Public Affairs, said in a statement opposing Trump’s executive order.

Mainstream Jewish groups have so far broadly applauded Trump’s stated desire to fight antisemitism while expressing concern over the more controversial aspect of the order. 

In a statement, the American Jewish Committee said it would “endorse without hesitation” Trump’s push to apply existing laws to addressing antisemitism. But the group was more circumspect about the deportation concept, stating, “It is vital that other provisions in the Executive Order which have the potential to be broadly interpreted to threaten certain ethnic and religious groups be implemented with strict adherence to existing law.”

The Anti-Defamation League, too, also broadly supported the goals of Trump’s order. But the group added a cautionary note, saying, “Obviously, any immigration-related ramifications must be consistent with due process and existing federal statutes and regulations and should not be used to target individuals for their constitutionally protected speech.” 

Jewish Federations of North America told JTA late on Thursday that it supported the order, and downplayed its deportation aspects. “While much attention has been paid to the section of the order that seeks to revoke visas for students involved in supporting terrorist activity, the order does not—and indeed could not—add criteria for removing resident aliens beyond what is already written into current law,” a spokesperson wrote in an email, adding, “We thank President Trump for this important step.” (The ADL and JFNA had, as recently as December, declined to comment on Trump’s stated plans to deport protesters.)

Some Jewish groups are embracing the order without hesitation.

Betar US, a reboot of a century-old militant Zionist youth movement, has launched an effort to track foreign-born college students who have engaged in protest activity. In part by using artificial intelligence, the group has compiled dossiers on the most active protesters to submit to the Trump administration for deportation. 

The group’s executive director, Ross Glick, told JTA this week that he has received “countless” submissions since launching the campaign. A Betar spokesperson said the group was “very happy” about the new order and said the group has already submitted more than 100 names to Trump administration officials. 

Glick maintains that those on the list are egregious offenders.

“These aren’t people being reported just for wearing a keffiyeh,” he said, referring to the scarf that is a symbol of Palestinian solidarity. “They’re being reported because they have been espousing anti-Zionist, anti-Israel, anti-American behavior, masking up in protests, participating in Intifada-led protests, and then are here as guests of our country, in some cases getting grants or funds.”

Glick added that he is supportive of free speech for American citizens, but that he doesn’t believe foreign students should have the right to go after the American government. 

“Nobody’s looking to deport somebody who is legal. A citizen has rights, no doubt. Free speech,” he said. “But a foreign student, I don’t know of a country where you can, as a foreigner, participate in protests that are against the government.” (The Supreme Court has generally held that foreigners on American soil are entitled to at least some First Amendment protections.)

The question of deporting non-citizen pro-Palestinian students was already on the radar last spring. The Jewish president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was heavily criticized by some pro-Israel voices after she declined to suspend foreign-born protesters for fear their visas would be jeopardized.

Now, some Jewish groups want to see the executive order applied more widely, beyond the colleges and universities where the federal government has sway because of the funding it supplies.

Earlier this month, the Secure Community Network, which coordinates security for Jewish institutions, urged Trump to take “action against non-citizens who materially support terrorism and threaten Jewish Americans.” 

The group’s director and CEO, Michael Masters, argued that existing law already permits the government to take such action when a student is found to have provided “material support” to a registered terror group like Hamas or ISIS.

“We cannot allow individuals to take advantage of America’s liberties to attack, threaten, and intimidate law abiding American citizens in the name of terrorism,” Masters wrote in an open letter. “The law forbids it. The time has come for the United States government to stand up for our citizens and our country – and to take meaningful action to protect the people of our country by enforcing those laws.”

Masters’ stance was opposed this week by rabbis and cantors via an open letter circulated by the progressive Jewish human rights network T’ruah. 

“We do not deny that in select circumstances, immigrants have carried out and attempted terrorist attacks,” reads the letter signed by hundreds of rabbis across the country. “But to frontload them as the primary threat to Jewish security is not only morally irresponsible, but dangerous for the Jewish people and for American society.”

In addition to reflecting his anti-immigration views, the order dovetails with Trump’s stated intent to move aspects of addressing campus antisemitism from the Education Department to the Justice Department. 

The deportation plan has roots in Project Esther, a policy proposal to combat antisemitism released by the right-wing Heritage Foundation during the campaign season. Prior to the election, many Jewish groups had declined to work with the Heritage Foundation on the initiative and criticized the program as an attempt to clamp down on left-wing political activism without meaningfully addressing antisemitism on the right. 

But a small number of conservative-leaning Jewish groups, including the Zionist Organization of America, the Coalition for Jewish Values and the Combat Antisemitism Movement, endorsed Project Esther.

IfNotNow, a left-wing Jewish group that is harshly critical of Israel, also opposed Trump’s plan Wednesday, saying it was “fueled by anti-Palestinian racism” and in service to anti-democratic ideals.

“Empowering the far right endangers Jews,” IfNotNow spokesperson Eva Borgwardt said in a statement. “We call on fellow Jewish organizations and leaders who are committed to freedom of speech and safeguarding civil rights to vigorously oppose this dangerous executive order.”

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Reuters, via The Guardian:

A swath of Democratic-led states and civil rights groups have filed the first lawsuits challenging executive orders Donald Trump signed after taking office, including one that seeks to roll back birthright citizenship in the US. A coalition of 22 Democratic-led states along with the District of Columbia and the city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit in federal court in Boston on Tuesday arguing the Republican president’s effort to end birthright citizenship is a flagrant violation of the US constitution.

That lawsuit followed a pair of similar cases filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, immigrant organizations and an expectant mother in the hours after Trump signed the executive order, marking the first major litigation challenging parts of his agenda since he took office. “State attorneys general have been preparing for illegal actions like this one, and today’s immediate lawsuit sends a clear message to the Trump administration that we will stand up for our residents and their basic constitutional rights,” the New Jersey attorney general, Matthew Platkin, said in a statement. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The lawsuits, which were all filed in federal courts in Boston or Concord, New Hampshire, take aim at a central piece of Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, an order directing federal agencies not to recognize US citizenship for children born in the United States to mothers who are in the country illegally or are present temporarily, such as visa holders, and whose fathers are not citizens or lawful permanent residents.

More lawsuits by Democratic-led states and advocacy groups challenging other aspects of Trump’s agenda are expected, with cases already on file challenging the Elon Musk-led, ill-defined “department of government efficiency” and an order the Republican signed weakening job protections for civil servants. Any rulings from judges in Massachusetts and New Hampshire would be reviewed by the Boston-based 1st US circuit court of appeals, whose five active federal judges are all appointees of Democratic presidents, a rarity nationally. The complaints cite the US supreme court’s 1898 ruling in United States v Wong Kim Ark, a decision holding that children born in the United States to non-citizen parents are entitled to US citizenship. If allowed to stand, Trump’s order would mean more than 150,000 children born annually in the United States would be denied for the first time the right to citizenship, according to the office of the Massachusetts attorney general, Andrea Joy Campbell.

22 Democratic AGs, DC, and the city of San Francisco, CA sue over 47’s tyrannical and unconstitutional executive order ending birthright citizenship.

[sotomato06]

Leaving the US?

Following the events of last night, its likely a lot of you want to leave the United States. I don't blame you and can't say I haven't entertained the same thoughts. So I complied this list of the easiest countries to move to from the United States, and the pros and cons of each nation

Mexico

Mexico is close to the United States, not requiring a flight to get there (though it is recommended if within your price range) The nation allows residency of US citizens for up to 180 days without a visa or permit, allowing plenty of time to apply for the temporary residency visa which is normally valid for 4-5 years. After 5 years of residency, you can apply for permanent citizenship. https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/leamington/index.php/non-mexicans/visas/115-temporary-resident-visa

Mexico has a much lower cost of living than the USA, with the average Mexican spending around $1000 usd or MEX$20151.55 mxn. Jobs do pay lower, but the cost of living still works out lower than in the United States and the work environment in Mexico is known to be more healthy. Along with the great weather (and food) Mexico is a good choice for Americans trying to escape the country.

 Claudia Sheinbaum, the current president of Mexico was recently sworn in and is a strong advocate for women's rights. She has fought for Abortion rights in Mexico, along with other reproductive rights. She is also a Champion of LGBTQ+ rights and has been fighting to help queer people in Mexico for the majority of her career. She is expanding Mexican welfare and is an environmental advocate. Same-Sex Marriage has been fully legal in Mexico since 2021 and Abortion is not criminalized and preformed in almost all Mexican states. For more information, I suggest the Wikipedia article on Abortion in Mexico, as it is a complicated subject. Although currently, it is ranked around the same as the USA on access across the whole country, Mexican Abortion legislation is moving in the opposite direction to the United State's, as according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, once all of the Mexican states properly reform their laws to comply with the 2023 court ruling, Mexico will be a rank one on Abortion laws, or Abortion available everywhere on request which is expected to be soon. Changing one's legal name and gender is protected under Mexican laws, and the majority of states have anti discrimination laws in place. One state even allows one to change their gender to something other than male or female, recognizing non-binary identities legally.

Portugal

Portugal is a good option for those who have funds to put into leaving. Portugal offers a program for a Golden Visa which can be obtained through owning a certain amount of real estate although there are other ways. This Visa offers the chance at citizenship after holding for only 5 years. https://getgoldenvisa.com/portugal-golden-visa-program

Portugal offers a lot of benefits for retirees as well, so if your grandma also wants to flee the country, Portugal may be the country for her. The weather is good and it is known to be incredibly peaceful and pretty.

Portugal is also in the European Union, meaning citizenship here also means EU citizenship and access to the whole Schengen Zone, allowing a lot of opportunity for education and location, as you don't have to obtain another citizenship to move to another EU nation. Abortion is legal in Portugal as is Same-Sex Marriage and both are protected under the laws of the EU. Trans rights are also protected and a trans person is allowed to change their legal gender without a medical diagnosis.

Ecuador

Ecuador is another option that is good if you aren't looking to leave the Americas. Ecuador allows visa free residency for up to 90 days and grant Permanent resident visas after only 21 months of living with a temporary visa. There are many temporary visa options including an investment one similar to Portugal's and a retiree option. Another option would be the Professional Visa, although that one is more likely to be granted if you have a job lined up and a university degree, it is the only one that does not require a lot of money. Get in touch with an Ecuador embassy here https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/consularnotification/ConsularNotificationandAccess/Ecuador.html

Ecuador also has a lower cost of living compared to the United States and the English language and dollar are often used in the country. The weather in Ecuador is an incredibly good feature of the nation as well.

Ecuador does not allow abortion upon request, but they do allow it to save the life of the mother or for other extreme cases involving rape. There are multiple organizations working to change this however and extend these rights to be more like those of Mexico or Argentina. Same-Sex marriage is protected in Ecuador as of 2019 and transgender people are able to change their legal gender without needing to go through gender affirming surgery.

Spain

Spain has an education based program where citizens of Canada and the United States are granted temporary visa's to come and teach English in the nation. You are compensated and only expected to work for 12-16 hours a week. Under this visa, you can find other work and apply for a more permanent professional Visa, which only have to be renewed every few years and leads you on the path to permanent residency. https://www.educacionfpydeportes.gob.es/eeuu/convocatorias-programas/convocatorias-eeuu/nalcap.html

Spain is also a member of the EU and residency here allows access to the Schengen zone of Europe as well. Spain has abortion on request up to 14 weeks and allows emergency abortions when the mother's life could be at risk even after that. Spain also allows same-sex marriage and has trans protection laws in place, with somebody over 16 allowed to change their legal gender, no parent, judge or doctor involved. Spain also has a very relaxed work culture with the maximum allowed work hours a week being 40 and the average worked being 36.

South Korea

South Korea has a very similar program to Spain, where you can live there for up to a year and teach English, although the South Korean program often requires a bachelors degree. Following the stay with the temporary teaching visa, you could apply for a more permanent option. A "resident visa" in South Korea is typically referred to as an "F-5 visa", which signifies a permanent residency permit, allowing foreigners to live and work in the country indefinitely; to qualify, you must meet certain criteria like significant investment in a Korean business, marriage to a Korean citizen, or a long-term stay with exceptional skills in a specific field.  https://www.internations.org/south-korea-expats/guide/visas-work-permits

As of 2021, Abortion is fully legal in the nation and is available upon request, although due to the nature in which it was legalized it is a bit iffy. I would recommend reading further into it. However, although Homosexuality is not criminalized in the country, South Korea has no official recognition of any sort of Marriage or civil unions between same-sex couples and they often face discrimination. So if you are in a same sex relationship, South Korea may not be the place for you.

Australia

Australia is one of the easiest nations for Americans to live in under a temporary Visa, as they have a program called the working holiday program and you can live there up to 3 years under it. However, this program does not lead to permanent residency and you would have to apply for another visa, either a work or family, to move there permanently. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/permanent-resident

Australia allows abortion up to 23 weeks upon request, although specifics do vary between states. Queer rights in Australia rank among the highest in the world, as marriage has been fully legalized since 2017 and they are also a world leader in trans rights. All Australian states allow the changing of one's gender legally and support gender affirming care. Non-discriminations laws are also present in all the states.

Canada

Canada allows American citizens to stay in their country for up to 6 months visa free, although they are not allowed to work without any sort of visa. The easiest way to gain Canadian residency is though the express visa system. This immigration program targets skilled workers than can contribute to three economic fields in Canada. Canadian citizenship is available after five years of residency. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/works.html

Cost of living in Canada is slightly higher than in the US, but the benefits are greater with more affordable education and universal healthcare.

Canada is known as one of the best nations for LGBTQ+ people. It was the third nation in the world to legalize same sex marriage. Since June 2017, all places within Canada explicitly within the Canadian Human Rights Act, equal opportunity and/or anti-discrimination legislation prohibit discrimination against gender identity or gender identity or expression. This includes trans rights, who are protected under Canadian law. Abortion is publicly funded and available throughout the entire nation in Canada.

If you live in a red state and aren't interested in leaving the country, but don't want to stay where you are, here's some stats that may help make your decision on where to move to;

States with no abolition ban:

Washington DC, New Jersey, Maryland, Oregon, Vermont, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, Alaska

Best states for LGBTQ+ individuals:

New York, Oregon, Minnesota, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, Washington DC

Hope this helps whoever may need it.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

The Man from a Different Universe

In the chronicles of unexplained mysteries, the story of the Taured Man stands out as a baffling and enigmatic tale that has puzzled minds for decades.

It all began in the mid-20th century when a well-dressed and confident Caucasian man arrived at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, eager to embark on his journey. However, it was at the airport's immigration desk that this ordinary-looking traveler would reveal an extraordinary claim that would forever shroud his identity in mystery. Upon being asked the routine question of his country of origin, the man, with unwavering conviction, declared that he hailed from a place called "Taured." To the bewilderment of the Japanese immigration authorities, there was no record of such a country. The traveler was asked to produce identification, and that's when the plot thickened. In his possession, the Taured Man held a plethora of official documents, each more puzzling than the last. A passport, driver's license, and a stack of business cards – all issued by the non-existent nation of Taured – were laid out before the astounded officials. The documents were meticulously crafted, bearing all the hallmarks of authenticity, complete with visas from multiple countries, hinting at a history of international travel. As if this weren't perplexing enough, there were other curious details that further fueled the mystery. The authorities, grappling with disbelief, questioned the man about his homeland. His unwavering response was that Taured had existed for a long time, situated in the border region between France and Spain. This contradiction, however, only deepened the enigma, as no such country appeared on any maps or records. It was as though the Taured Man was a visitor from an alternate dimension or an elaborate hoaxer.

The confusion escalated as the man was escorted to a hotel room, still under the vigilant gaze of Japanese immigration authorities. While they were determined to solve the riddle of his identity, they were left with more questions than answers. The next morning, an eerie and baffling development occurred – the Taured Man and all of his belongings, including the Taured documents, had vanished without a trace. There were no signs of forced entry or exit, leaving investigators and airport personnel dumbfounded. It was as if the enigmatic traveler had simply vanished into thin air.

[sgiandubh]

Mordor says He returned only for Visa reasons. They did some math and understood that Sam had been there for almost 90 days, só It was time for a quick walk home.

Dear Visa Anon,

Which Mordor luminary came with this idea? The MENSA-level CRT Clique or Miss Marple, who thinks I know nothing (the Dimwit from Madrid is still learning how to spell, so I can't believe it's her)?

Regardless. These people should immediately stop watching Ninety-Day Fiancé on their cable network, following a severe overdose on Uzbek midgets and Egyptian gigolos 'looking for true love' stories.

Maybe they could also have checked their facts before solemnly stating bullshit, since they clearly think all the visitors to the wonderful U S of A are tourists and as such, entitled to a maximum 90-day stay at a time (and then a short hike to Tijuana or Canada and back on tracks: not EDI/GLA, FFS!).

Incidentally, may I remind these geniuses that S has been spotted only near EDI, which of course would mean for them he'd be getting his visa there. Unless...

Unless you know the US General Consulate in EDI does not issue any type of visas - LOL, idiots. And unless he'd need to be in LHR for the pre-appointed interview and then another 7 working days delay for processing and 1-3 working days for passport delivery by mail only (never in person, chickadees). Doesn't really click with timelines, Madam Expert.

Because they are all very intelligent, they also forgot everything about/never bothered to look for the new-ish ESTA system (https://www.handyvisas.com/esta-us-visa/british/), especially designed for Visa Waiver countries' citizens. So I insist: if traveling as a tourist, S does not need a visa to enter the US for up to 90 days - that is correct, but by no means applicable to S's reality. And if he knew he'd need to stay more than 90 days, he would have applied for a visa - mandatory - in London before the Summer of Sassenach tour.

But he is not traveling as a tourist and very probably not under another type of non-immigrant visa, simply because he has businesses there and he is also involved in the OL project with *** (d'oh!).

Let's unpack:

As per US current regulations, S cannot apply for a B-1 (business non immigrant visa). To understand why, kindly refer to the US Customs and Border Protection FAQ (https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/B-1%20permissible%20activities.pdf). I already munched it up for you:

He could only apply for a O-1 B immigration visa, for which his agent or employer should mandatorily petition the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. These are special visas designed for the individual who (...) has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry and has been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements. This is very subjective and a contract with * should be enough - I was in a taxi when I received your ask and immediately checked with a friend from the US Consulate, to indulge you. And all this hassle just because a Tumblr Nobody has flatulent opinions, huh?

According to the USCIS's own regulations, not Dutch fantasy or Belfast sagas, the authorized period of stay and possibility of extension are as follows (https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/o-1-visa-individuals-with-extraordinary-ability-or-achievement):

The good thing about getting this visa (and I think * sorted it out a long time ago for both of them) is that it helps tremendously with the Green Card procedures, something I bet the farm both S & C already have, by now.

So doing the maths was perfectly inane and useless.

Does that answer your question, clever Anon? Can I go back to the Quaich post I must finish (it will be VERY long, beware) today?

Thanks for asking and I am sorry for the length: this fandom being paranoid, I had to include all the tedious details. I hope we can put this idiocy to rest, now. Parochial twits.

[lexlawuk]

Update: ETA Visa Open to Non-Europeans

The United Kingdom is introducing a significant change to its border control procedures with the rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). This digital pre-travel requirement will impact millions of visitors annually, ensuring smoother entry processes and enhanced security measures. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain what an ETA is, who needs it, how to apply, and why…

[storkmuffin]

I've never left the US, so I guess I'm curious. As someone who has a firm grasp on both your own culture and ours, what do you make of us? How has that changed over time? (Obviously not every region of this country is the same, but you seem to have seen a fair bit of it.)

Follow-up to that: are there things our cultures could learn from each other?

I am going to go stream of consciousness, so bear with me, because otherwise I will become intimidated out of answering this question at all. I've lived in CA, RI, NJ, NYC, Washington DC and FL for a year or more in each place. Which means I have zero concept of what it's like in the enormous continent between LA and NYC. I was also never an immigrant aspirant - I was on different visas the entire time, and did not want to stop being a Korean national nor become an American.

And that's the key to the admiration I have for America, actually. The fact that you can become an American, for real, not just acquire an American passport and attendant citizenship rights, but actually become a creature that is American! This is an invention of political philosophy but it feels more magical than that. It seems to be what being Roman was like, you know? It doesn't exist very often in history. And so many people want to become Americans. Not just live and earn money in America, or study there - they want to be American. That's very powerful.

What's uhh changed very abruptly very recently is that a significant set of Americans want all that to stop happening, which I find very confusing, tbh. People want to sit with you, desperately. Why do you hate them??

Being American represents, for me, the possibility of being free from the weight of ethnic, national, geographic history to the maximum extent humanly possible. (Which isn't very much, but still.) Americans, in social interactions, uphold the idea that how you show up on that day is what counts. The social pretense of, We're all meeting at the same baseline, so it's just you and me, in the present moment, as we are, gives an air of jolly openness, and permission to remake yourself as you see fit, that even quite dynamic old cultures (like mine) can probably never achieve.

American styles of being friendly, being welcoming, the big, never-dropped, that must hurt your face kind of non-stop smiling that they usually do, their impatience with trying to memorize or understand everyone's quirks (like, if your name is 철수 G.Is would blink at you and go Okayyy bud you're gonna be Chuck from now on) and reacting by just tossing an American blanket over it - I find all these very lovable, actually. Americans are generally, in self expression, eager for a happy connection. When you watch the Olympics opening ceremony, you know when it's the American team entering even without the announcement or seeing the flag, because everyone is gives off the air of having dressed however the fuck they want, even when in uniform. They never march in line and they never move in unison. Laughing and jumping, they just wander around the stadium enjoying themselves. This is very lovable, to me.

America is the place I've felt the most included, given the fairest shakes, and felt I could trust would at least try to treat me with dignity than any other foreign place I've been to or lived in. I appreciate that very much, because obviously I was quite young when I lived in the US, and much more vulnerable, and things can go very wrong when you're young and female in a foreign place alone.

Koreans want things to be correct. They want to not bother you. The whole focus of Korean public social rules is to not bother others. So Koreans are usually absolutely silent in elevators and subway trains. Americans want to be friendly. They want assurance that things are ok, that you're ok, and you're ok with what's going on. When they make inadvertent eye contact with a stranger, they do a tiny little but very real smile. When you wave at American babies, they usually wave back.

I feel very silly writing this at this point because frankly America seems like 50 different countries pretending to be a single country. It just isn't a singularity, so having only seen bits of it, what the hell do I know??!? By the way - S. Korea pretends to be a whole country when actually we still feel like half a country, emotionally, because we're not supposed to be separated from N. Korea.

On the flipside of this brightness, warmth, and freedom is the scariest set of people you've ever heard of in the history of humanity.

Americans are scarier than the Mongols, the Huns, the Chung/Tang dynasties and the CCP, and frankly, the Nazis, put together. Americans wiped out, deliberately, bloodily, step by step, one-baby-shot-in-the-face-at-a-time, with intention and no remorse, an entire continent's worth of people. They just decimated multiple ethnicities, wholesale. A whole continent! We don't even know how exactly many peoples, how many cultures and languages, do we? Just fucking WIPED THEM OUT. They kept saying, Oh no, that land was empty while they were carrying out this genocide. Ottomans ran a terrifying empire but they never pretended the people they were stepping on didn't exist. Then Americans kidnapped and enslaved a whole other continent's worth of people, for hundreds of years, whlie simultaneously (BY THE SAME PEOPLE) developing radically egalitarian concepts of democracy, freedom, and equality. The horror of American slavery is unspeakable. American white people did that to so many Africans that depending on where you live, the descendants of the kidnapped and enslaved make up a HUGE portion of the population. And they never did a proper reckoning with that history. The legacy of slavery appears to me to be on-going, and they keep reinventing ways to enslave black people, and to shove certain subsets of white people (previously, the Irish, the Poles, etc, and now, the underprivileged, the former industrial workers, the rural population) into serfdom. Scary as fuck.

Koreans, who do not have an identity as being the aggressors of history, see this all the time. The perpetrators of crimes against Koreans (like the Chinese, like the Japanese) lie, all the time, and they believe their own lie with a fervency nobody else does. They refuse to repent, and they martyr those of their own who say that repentence is necessary. America follows the same denialist playbook, which is normal of humans. What's powerful about America is that there is a significant, maybe even equal drive against that impulse, coming from a combination of Calvinist strictness, Protestant work ethic, and the fantastic ideal that a true fresh start is possible for everyone.

Koreans are actually constantly benchmarking American things, to import and apply to our own way of doing things. Egalitarianism, individualism (rather than collectivist silencing), the ability to leave the weirdos and outliers alone to just be weird if they wanna (Koreans hate doing this, even now), the mandate towards innovation and creative thinking are just some values that we feel are American that we've been trying for decades to adopt. I think we've succeeded somewhat.

What I think Americans can stand to learn from Koreans is a little bit of baseline recognition that there's only so much the individual can do against a systemic, or inherited, set of difficulties. The expectation that there's supposed to be a society, a government, a system, that takes care of you, is a self-compassionate as well as empathetic approach that Koreans have, that we dont't really recognize or acknowledge, except when we complain about its absence and get enraged.

[translatingtradutor]

[Brasil] Basic guide on how to access Hormonal Replacement Therapy through SUS

About what transitions you can do in Brazil

Reminder: You'll either have to present yourself as wanting masculine or feminine hormones. There are no other methods of hormonal transition.

However, every gender identity is valid and you can ask to be respected as non-binary by the doctos, as long as you specify to them you want HRT of a certain gender.

For example: Assigned Male at Birth. You'd say "I want feminizing HRT"

This is because the doctors here are extremly weird about this, and there have been several cases of them not understanding the situation and giving prescriptions of the wrong gendered hormone. This is because of a lack of understanding.

For non-nationals

Brazil grants full acces to the SUS for all immigrants and foreign workers. If you have a residency visa, you can use the SUS and get HRT. It also grants limited access to free emergency care for all people, even travellers and illegal immigrants - however, this will not usually grant you HRT because you need a document of residency to access scheduled care.

You can try to do this in foreign languages, but it will be extremely difficult and only some select doctors and attendants will be able to understand you. Access to HRT is already scarce in Brazil, so understand that your options become not only severely limited, but also almost impossible.

Ideally, either be able to communicate in portuguese in a basic capacity or know a close language such as spanish. You have to be able to at least communicate in all of those steps that will be showed. Consider bringing a friend that knows both languages as help. Just because someone at a certain step understood you, doesn't mean they'll understand on the next step.

Índex:

How to acess the SUS for free

Social name (nome social)

Transitioning in secret

At the general doctor

Final considerations

How to acess the SUS for free

Go to your city's UBS (Unidade Basica de Saúde), specifically the one that cares for your region. Call beforehand to see if they are the ones in charge of your region. If they aren't, find the one that's in charge of your address. If you go to the right one that takes care of that, and they say that they aren't in charge of HRT, it's a lie and wrong training of the employees.

Bring:

Original copy of RG or CIN

Printed residency proof. This can be a water, light, or gas bill that has your address listed on it.

It does not need to be in your name if you explain it as you living with someone else or renting. They don't usually verify. Just make sure your address is of the area they are in charge of.

Ask for a consultation with a general doctor (clínico geral). it does not need any reason or justification. If they ask you why, you can say it's for redirection to the endocrinologist. If they refuse, it's wrong employee training again, as this is your right.

Social name (nome social)

You can ask to use a social name.

Nome social: The name you use that is not your name legally. In Brazil, a social name can both be official (appears in a document besides the legal name) or not. Government institutions and state-based businesses are oblied to respect all forms of social name, as well as both private and public means of education.

The SUS is oblied by law to use your social name even if it's not on a document. If they refuse, it's wrong training of the employees again, and you can call administration and point your right by law. By law, you have the right to be treated as your social name and gender.

Transitioning in secret

The SUS system will never ever notify your parents, family, or whoever else that you are transitioning with HRT!

As a person after the age of majority, which is 18 in Brazil, the government understands that you as responsable for your own health and the owner of your own data. In the case of minors, the parents need to give consent any way. If you are an emancipated minor, you are the same as someone after legal majority and have the same rights as them, including not needing parental consent. However, you'll need to bring the documents that prove your emancipation.

What may happen, however, is that you give your house phone number to them in your contact info, and that they try to call for some emergency causing the wrong person to get the call. Even so, they prefer not to tell third parties what they contacted you for.

At the general doctor (clínico geral)

At the day of the consultation (it will not be the same day you request it) you ask for the redirectioning for the endocrinologist and inform what gender you are transitioning hormonally to. You tell the doctor it is for transgender hormonal transition. The doctor can't refuse to mark the other consultation, except on specific cases describe after. The SUS is obligated by law to cover this treatment without any psychological avaliation or "proof".

The doctor will also give you the papers to start the physical exams you need for the endo consultation. It is with those exams that the endo will know how to adjust the dose for you and if you have any serious risks with HRT, as well as a basis to monitor how your transition is going for next adjustments.

Then you go to the other consultation when you manage to get it scheduled. They should ideally have experience with hormonal transition. The exams will be seen and you'll get a prescription for the hormones. You can't choose which will be the form of the hormones. They are also free and must be taken our of the SUS pharmacy if availiable. See exceptions below.

Final Considerations

The starting process usually takes some few months, but some cases can take more than years.

After the endocrinologist, you take the free hormones in accord to what your prescription was. But there are some important exceptions to this process:

If your city doe snot have an endocrinologist, they can't offer you this service, but it of their responsability to look again to see if they just didn't know one existed in the city. If there really aren't any, you can ask about close cities and (even if takes longer) try to schedule seeing one there.

If your city and none of the cities close to it have endocrinologists, they still must give you a consultation in another city even if it's very far. Maybe this will be worth it because the free hormones are only given to people with SUS prescriptions, and you might use less money in the long term.

Your city might not have hormones sometimes because too many people are using them. It is important to understand at hormone and doctor avaliability are different things in SUS. This is the norm in state capitals. Examples are Rio, São Paulo, and Florianopolis. In that case, you'll have to either pause or buy them yourself.

If your city never has availiable hormones, maybe you'll have to go to other cities to get the hormones (call first to know if they have it). It can be more worth it can buying it yourself if the city is close.

[rostomanologist]

Russia Is Fucking Up Queer Lives. How Can I Help?

i kno there are several masterposts with links and etc, but i want to make one for our foreign friends

so, the help how? mostly, donations and signing petitions. for now ru-queers are in need for legal and psychological support, sheltering and evacuation, which is done by several organisations also, please spread the word. there's little info on what's happening here, so any reblog of news or info posts would be appreciated

Petitions

Quarteera's petition for providing easier access to refugee status for trans people from russia (since the transition is prohibited here) in germany. can be signed from any country. more details here

Sphere's petition for easier obtain of visas and travel documents for ru-queers in countries that have signed international human rights conventions

Donations

Coming Out - helping organisation, provides legal, informational and psychological support

Queer-Svit - organisation helping lgbtq and bame people; provides help for people affected by war in ukraine (relocation, financial support), national minorities in russia, belarus and other "post-soviet" countries, trans people in russia

SK SOS - crisis group working in north caucasus regions, including chechnya/ichkeria; focuses on evacuation of women and queer people from there

Centre-T - initiative group for trans and non-binary people

Dept One - advocacy organisation which also works with lgbtq community (accepts donations with crypto currency, for other currencies email them)

OVD-Info - advocacy organisation which also works with lgbtq community

Resource Center for LGBT in Ural - focuses mainly on helping people in yekaterinburg offline, but also provides online help

Parni PLUS - russian lgbtq media, which also provides informational support for people in need

some of the sites are in russian, so use translate if it's hard to navigate.

im afraid i didn't mention a lot of organisations and initiatives (sphere, russian lgbt network and etc are not included since i can't find links for donations. if you find them i'll add). so additions are welcomed

thank you!

[pure-ablution]

How did you move from work experience in government to jewelry?

I’d always been interested in art, and always loved jewellery, but I never really considered it as a career path until my second year of university, when I’d already joined some arts-based student societies, gained good marks in my compulsory art history exams, seen a little of the auction industry via my extracurriculars in wine, and met Alajos, realised that I needed a switch of career trajectory, and seen a little more of the art world that way, too.

I started off by joining a few non-student societies that focused on various aspects of the arts, and attending their lectures, exhibits, and events. There are so, so many passionate little groups, both local and national, that are full of established people in the industry and begging for younger members. I was often the youngest person in the room, and this worked wholly to my benefit, but I also did meet a few other young women who were a little older than me, had already begun their careers in art and auctions, and could advise me and help me out a little.

I cast my net pretty wide, and didn’t focus solely on jewellery. I joined my university’s numismatics society, for example, attended all sorts of different seminars and lectures, and met a good few professors and other academics who were very respected in the field and had connections to auction houses and art dealers. I was willing to take up any job offered to me that seemed even vaguely related to my ultimate goal, and I found myself helping out a wine and whiskey importer, travelling to Turkey to assist an ageing carpet dealer, spending a summer curating the interior of a Czech castle, archiving several thousand Orthodox icons, clearing the warehouse of a tiny village auction house, and entering writing competitions that promised a week’s work experience with much bigger names. I said yes to pretty much anything, asked around and got names and numbers from the most unlikely of places and people, and eventually, my reputation was enough that I could start working under more luxurious departments, and in more famous houses, bit by bit.

Frankly, knowing Alajos and his family helped a great deal, as well, since they’re pretty regular customers of the bigger auction houses and art dealers, and a known name in their own right—but I needed connections to vouch for me aside from my then-boyfriend, too, especially when it came to the Asia-Pacific region, where most of my work experience over the past year or so has been concentrated. I built a little network up from the bottom, and became pretty well-known as a knowledgeable and passionate jack-of-all-trades (with slightly annoying visa requirements) in the art world.

Essentially, I spent a while looking at the career descriptions and biographies of people, especially women, in positions that I wanted, figuring out what skills I’d need and where I’d get them, curating my look and my skill set towards the industry and pivoting away from my previous work experience—which, now, I no longer list on my CV—placing myself in positions where I could get to know influential people informally and know that they’d support me, and then showing up and excelling even in the less desirable jobs. It’s the same formula I’d really recommend for anyone who isn’t coming from a lot, but has access and opportunity to grow their network organically.

[natureshiner]

H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows professional and skilled workers to work in the USA. This visa is specifically for foreign nationals who are hired by US companies in fields that require expertise, such as: IT, engineering, science, healthcare, finance, etc.