All articles tagged with #passports
Camden Council is introducing 'personal passports' for rough sleepers to streamline access to services and reduce re-traumatization, amid rising homelessness rates in the borough, with plans for new housing and support initiatives.
Newly released Epstein-related photos from House Democrats show high-profile figures, island development plans, passports, and disturbing messages, but lack context and are part of ongoing pressure to release more files from Epstein's estate amid political controversy.
The Supreme Court permitted the Trump administration to discontinue the policy allowing individuals to self-identify their gender on passports, marking a rollback in LGBTQ rights.
The U.S. Supreme Court allowed President Trump's policy to require passport applicants to list their sex as on their birth certificate to proceed, overturning a lower court pause, with a 6-3 vote along ideological lines, amid ongoing litigation and controversy over transgender rights.
Several Caribbean islands, including Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia, are offering citizenship through investment programs that include buying property, which grants visa-free travel to many countries and appeals to wealthy individuals seeking security and tax advantages, driven by political and social instability in the US. These programs have increased in popularity, but face international scrutiny over security and ethical concerns, with the islands implementing reforms to improve oversight.
Belarusians who fled the country following a crackdown on political dissent by authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko are facing new hurdles as their passports expire and Belarus stops renewing passports at its embassies abroad. This leaves many Belarusians abroad without valid documents, making them vulnerable to politically motivated prosecution if they have to return to Belarus to process their documents. Lithuania and Poland are issuing temporary "foreigner's passports" to verify identity and allow travel, but a long-term solution is needed. The opposition leader-in-exile, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has proposed a "Passport of New Belarus" to serve as a travel document for Belarusians abroad, seeking recognition from EU countries. The UN Human Rights Commission has called on Minsk to annul the decree, which restricts the rights of exiled Belarusians, including registering births and granting citizenship to children born abroad.
Exiled opponents of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, gathered in Poland to display unity and plan strategy, including the issuance of "New Belarus" passports. The opposition seeks international recognition for these alternative passports and aims to promote Belarusian-language theater, book printing, and education to preserve national identity. Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, has used security forces to suppress dissent and force opponents into exile.
Singapore has surpassed Japan to claim the top spot in the ranking of the world's most powerful passports, with Singaporeans enjoying visa-free entry to 192 destinations. Germany, Italy, and Spain tied for second place, while Japan dropped to third place along with several other countries. The United States, once ranked first, now sits at eighth place due to its lack of visa reciprocity. Afghanistan has the least powerful passport, with access to only 27 destinations.
Several Sudanese citizens are stranded in the country due to their passports being locked inside European embassies, which were evacuated during the ongoing conflict. The embassies are now closed, leaving people unable to retrieve their passports. The main available routes out of Sudan are currently to take a bus to the northern border and cross into Egypt, or to travel to the coastal city of Port Sudan and take a boat across the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia. The UK visa application centre in Khartoum has also been closed, leaving some people unable to retrieve their passports and join their families in Egypt.
Russians are increasingly seeking Kyrgyz passports as a way out of their country due to the economic fallout of the ongoing Ukraine war and the risk of being enlisted to serve in the armed forces. Private firms promote the Kyrgyz passport as a door opener to subsequently being able to travel, study, and live in Western countries. While Kyrgyzstan and Russia don’t have a dual-citizenship pact, laws in both countries allow their citizens to hold multiple nationalities. Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan's neighbor, signed a dual-citizenship agreement with Russia in the 1990s, and thousands of Tajiks have obtained Russian passports in recent years after Moscow simplified its citizenship law for people from fellow former Soviet countries.
The US State Department is experiencing an "unprecedented demand" for passports as Americans prepare for renewed travel after the pandemic, with 500,000 applications per week, a 30-40% increase from last year. The department is on track to break the record of 22 million passports issued in 2022. The standard processing time for a passport is currently 10-13 weeks, and an expedited request takes 7-9 weeks. The State Department is prioritizing visas that have an economic impact, particularly for students, temporary workers, business travelers, and maritime crews.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that the State Department is facing an "unprecedented demand" for passports, with wait times for regular passports at around 10-13 weeks and expedited passports at 7-9 weeks. The department is receiving 500,000 passport applications per week, which is 30-40% more than last year. The State Department has increased staffing and resources to deal with the demand, including hiring staff, authorizing overtime, and opening satellite offices. The department has also launched a pilot online renewal platform for passport renewals.