1.1 Introduction
A visa is most commonly a sticker endorsed in the applicant’s passport or other travel document. The visa, when required, was historically granted by an immigration official on a visitor’s arrival at the frontiers of a country, but increasingly today a traveller wishing to enter another country must apply in advance for a visa, sometimes in person at a consular office, by mail or over the internet. The actual visa may still be a sticker or a stamp in the passport or may take the form of a separate document or an electronic record of the authorization, which the applicant can print before leaving home and produce on entry to the host country. Some countries do not require visas for short visits.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
A visa (from the Latin charta visa, meaning “paper which has been seen”) is a conditional authorization granted by a country (typically to a foreigner) to enter and temporarily remain within, or to leave that country. Visas typically include limits on the duration of the foreigner’s stay, territory within the country they may enter, the dates they may enter, or the number of permitted visits. Visas are associated with the request for permission to enter a country and thus are, in some countries, distinct from actual formal permission for an alien to enter and remain in the country. In each instance, a visa is subject to entry permission by an immigration official at the time of actual entry and can be revoked at any time.
Manual systems of visa registration always put pressure on people to be correct in all aspect of their work. With manual systems the level of service is dependent on individuals and this puts a requirement on management to run training continuously for staff to keep them motivated and to ensure they are following the correct procedures. It can be all too easy to accidentally switch details and end up with inconsistency in data entry or in hand written orders. This has the effect of not just causing problems with customer service but also making information unable be used for reporting or finding trends with data discovery. Reporting and checking that data is also a problem and can be time consuming and expensive.
Some countries require that their citizens, as well as foreign travelers, obtain an “exit visa” to be allowed to leave the country. Uniquely, the Norwegian special territory of Svalbard is an entirely visa-free zone under the terms of the Svalbard Treaty. Some countries such as those in the Schengen Area have agreements with other countries allowing each other’s citizens to travel between them without visas. The World Tourism Organization announced that the number of tourists who require a visa before traveling was at its lowest level ever in 2015.
1.3 Statement of Problem
Investigation reveals the problem of the existing system which entails that, the Manual systems of visa registration always put pressure on people to be correct in all aspect of their work. With manual systems the level of service is dependent on individuals and this puts a requirement on management to run training continuously for staff to keep them motivated and to ensure they are following the correct procedures. It can be all too easy to accidentally switch details and end up with inconsistency in data entry or in hand written orders. This has the effect of not just causing problems with customer service but also making information unable be used for reporting or finding trends with data discovery. Reporting and checking that data is also a problem and can be time consuming and expensive.
Other problems found during manual visa registration system are:
- Inconsistency in data entry, room for errors, miskeying information.
- Long term visa issue.
- System is dependent on good individuals.
- Reduction in sharing information and customer services.
- Time consuming and costly to produce reports.
- Lack of security of data.
- Duplication of data entry.
- High cost
- Fraud
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to Design and Implement an Online Visa Processing System. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To design a computerized system for online registration.
- To design and develop a computerized payment platform.
- To design a system that accurately stores data and retrieves payment history when needed.
- To design a computerized system for tracking vacation time, maternity and paternity leave.
1.5 Significance of Study
The study will aid in reducing errors, fraud, increase speed and also aid growth in organizations if successfully implemented. Manual visa registration systems in organizations will be totally eliminated with this computerized system in place. The study will also serve as a guide to other student researchers who may want to conduct further research on the subject matter. Findings and recommendations from this system will aid in developing newer versions to serve optimally.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The scope of this study is centered on the design and implementation of an online visa registration system.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
1.8 Definition of Terms
- Information: Facts or knowledge provided or learned.
- Travel: To be on a journey, often for pleasure or business, and with luggage; to go from one place to another.
- Rate: To assign or to be assigned a particular rank or level.
- Ticket: A piece paper or card holder that gives right to admission to a place or event or travel on public transport.
