Introduction

People around the globe immigrate for en number of reasons. One might immigrate to a foreign country for better education, better career opportunities, or anything else. Whatever the reason be, if one intends to be a citizen of a foreign country it's important to understand how he can get citizenship of that country and for that one has to apply for Immigration. He will have to fill the immigration form and complete all the mandatory formalities to immigrate to the recipient country from his home country officially.

Amid the process, one would have a question 'What is the correct way to fill out an immigration paper?'. Well, one has to consider a few things when it comes to filling out an immigration paper which includes, the place from where the immigration form can be obtained, how to fill that immigration form, what documents to attach with that immigration form, special application to be attached if necessary, paying the prerequisite charges and if necessary, taking assistance of a professional.

Here’s are a few things to consider to fill out an immigration paper correctly -

How to fill the immigration form?

First of all, the form can be downloaded online from the Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India's official website www.boi.gov.in, or it can be obtained offline from the applicant's nearest immigration office's house. Oncapplicant's e the application office's neatly and carefully filled without scribbling or any other errors. In the form, the applicant has to fill in the following details:

1) Full name of the applicant (as in passport)

2) Date of birth (DD/MM/YYYY)

3) Passport number

4) Date of boarding (DD/MM/YYYY)

5) Flight number

6) Address in India

7) Telephone number

8) ECR

9) Purpose of visit

10) Signature of passenger

11) immigration stamp

These are basic details required to be filled in the immigration form. There can be more details subject to different rules and regulations. Essentially the applicant had to fill in his full name (as in passport), date of birth in (DD/MM/YYYY) format, passport number, date of boarding (DD/MM/YYYY), flight number, address in India, telephone number, ECR, i.e. Emigration Check Required the applicant had to tick yes/no, the purpose of visit it can be business, official, employment, education, medical/health, religion/pilgrimage, tourism, conference, others. The applicant can choose one of the options by ticking the appropriate box. The applicant has to sign in the passenger column's signature and get it stamped by the passenger column's signature to ensure he fills every section of the form, and nothing is left blank. If something doesn't apply, write 'not applicable' so the immigration officer knows that the form is complete and he can review it accordingly. The immigration officer must be receiving hundreds of immigration application forms every day so the applicant should be diligent while filling the form as he may don't want to get his application delayed or worse rejected by filling the form erroneously.

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Documents.

Once the application form is filled, the next step is to submit the relevant documents. Immigration is a complex process and thus it requires a list of documents that includes personal and professional details. The applicant should research which relevant documents are required to be attached to the immigration application form either online through the government's websites or offline by enquiring into the nearest immigration office from the applicant's house. Documents are subject to change according to different immigration procedural rules and regulations; however, the application form might demand documents that provide personal details proximal to documents mentioned below:

1) Passport

2) Voter photo identity card issued by Election commission of India

3) Aadhaar or m-Aadhaar issued by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI)

4) Driving license issued by RTO

6) Pan card issued by the Income Tax Department

7) Service photo identity card by Central/State Government, Public Sector Undertakings, Public Limited Companies, etc.

8) Student photo identity card issued by Government institutions/Government recognized educational institutions

9) Nationalised bank passbook with attested photographs

10) Pension card/pension documents with photographs

11) Disability photo ID card/handicapped medical certificate issued by the respective State/UT government administrations.

Apart from these documents, immigration officers might ask the applicant to produce some other relevant documents depending upon procedural rules and regulations. If the applicant doesn't have a particular document required, he can make an application letter and sub required,h a form mentioning the valid reason he could not produce the document. The applicant should have another set of copies that he submitted to the immigration office. If he completed the paperwork by courier, he should maintain the courier slip as the immigration form has been submitted.

Filling fee and hiring a lawyer.

Once the immigration application form is filled and necessary documents are submitted, the applicant should pay the stipulated charges or the immigration application form's filing fee. The applicant might also have to pay subordinate charges as stipulated by the authority, for instance, biometrics. After completion of the application process and submitting the relevant documents along with the filing fees the applicant will be notified about the next process.

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Thus, an applicant can file an immigration application. This can be a bit hectic for someone who's not well versed with administrational procedures; it's recommended for him to hire an agent or immigration lawyer to fill out his application. He'll have to pay the prerequisite charges of the agency and the lawyers, but he'll have to spend less time and effort also professionals can complete the process expeditiously as compared to a layman as they're well versed with the procedure and last but not the least applicant will have an immigration representative who will ensure security and protection during the application process. In this manner, one can fill out the immigration application form correctly without or with an agent or lawyer's assistance.

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Author: Shweta Singh