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Germany Launches Online Visa Portal For Easier International Applications
Published
6 months agoon
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Editor
Germany has introduced a new online portal this January to make it easier for people from around the world to apply for entry visas.
For visitors from countries without a visa waiver agreement with Germany, getting an entry permit is a necessary step before traveling to the country.
In the past, applicants had to complete lengthy paper forms and send them to the nearest German embassy or consulate, which could be far away—sometimes hundreds of kilometers.
They also had to include physical documents and deal with long waiting times and high postage costs.
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Now, as of January 1, 2025, a digital system called the Consular Services Portal has been launched.
It allows people to apply online for 28 different types of visas, including those for tourists, students, family members, and skilled workers, from anywhere with an internet connection.
The German Federal Foreign Affairs Office (BAA) said the portal has been in development for over two years.
After testing it in three locations, the system is now available at 167 embassies and consulates worldwide.
READ ALSO: Step-by-step: How Germany’s New Visa Application Process Works
By digitising the visa process, the government hopes to speed up applications and attract more skilled workers to Germany.
Welcoming the portal, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock highlighted the urgent need for skilled workers.
“In these times, we cannot afford to discourage the best people from working in our country with long paper applications and even longer waiting times.
“We need a state-of-the-art national visa procedure—modern, digital, and secure,” she said.
She also called the new system a “genuine administrative revolution” and emphasized its role in strengthening Germany’s position as a business hub.
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The launch of the visa portal builds on earlier efforts to digitize residence permit and citizenship applications in regions like Berlin, Hamburg, and Bavaria.
In Berlin, for instance, online naturalisation applications became available in early 2024, with residence permit and renewal applications added later in the year.
Currently, the portal only supports individual applications, so family members still need to apply at local German consulates.
However, the government plans to expand the system to allow group applications for families and authorized representatives in the future.
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Headline
After Fallout With Trump, Elon Musk Says He’s Forming ‘America Party’
Published
7 hours agoon
July 6, 2025By
Editor
Billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk, has disclosed that he is forming a third political party, which he called the ‘America Party,’ after a dramatic falling out with Donald Trump over a tax and spending bill recently signed into law by the President.
Musk, who was the largest individual donor to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, worked with the current US President as the lead of his cost-cutting government agency—the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—until his recent resignation.
After bowing out of the DOGE role, Tribune Online reports that Musk started criticizing Trump’s “big beautiful bill” because of estimates that he said would add trillions of dollars to the federal deficit.
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Speaking via his X social media platform, Musk said, “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.”
Musk, a former ‘first buddy’ of the US President, declared that the new party is for freedom: “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
Meanwhile, Musk’s rift with President Trump last month after intense criticism of the spending bill appeared to have cooled after Musk regretted and deleted the most incendiary posts he made linking Trump with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and calling for the President’s impeachment. According to Musk, those posts ‘went too far.’
However, the world’s richest man reignited the feud over the last several days as the bill neared passage and eventually passed by the House before it was subsequently signed at a White House ceremony.
READ ALSO:Elon Musk Deletes Post Claiming Trump Was ‘In The Epstein Files’
According to CNN, the extent to which Musk has taken steps to legally form the party is unclear, as party formation requires registering with the Federal Election Commission. The most recent FEC filings showed no indication that this has happened, CNN reports.
The owner of X, who has made threats during the social media scuffle with Trump, had indicated he wants a party that is fiscally conservative and reins in spending, but has offered few other details about what the party’s platform would be.
While Musk and Trump reportedly share similar views on contemporary social issues, the former has argued the Republican policy agenda will increase the debt, calling it “debt slavery.”
The two-party system in the United States has long been criticized by both registered Democrats and registered Republicans, but efforts in the last century to form a third party have shown little success. Billionaire Ross Perot ran for president as an independent in 1992, winning nearly a fifth of the popular vote, but carried no states in the election, which was won by Bill Clinton.

Australian actor Julian McMahon, best known for his roles in Nip/Tuck, Charmed, and Fantastic Four, has died at the age of 56.
McMahon passed away in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday following a private battle with cancer.
His death was confirmed in a statement released on Friday by his wife, Kelly.
The statement read,”With an open heart, I share with the world that Julian McMahon, my beloved husband, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer.
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“His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible.
“We wish all of those to whom Julian brought joy to continue to find joy in life.
“We are grateful for the memories.”
Born into a prominent political family, McMahon was the son of former Australian Prime Minister Sir William McMahon.
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In a nod to his family’s legacy, he portrayed an Australian prime minister in the Netflix drama ‘The Residence.’
McMahon’s career spanned decades, earning him international recognition for his roles as Dr. Christian Troy in ‘Nip/Tuck’, Cole Turner in ‘Charmed’, and Victor Von Doom in ‘Fantastic Four’.
He was married three times, including a high-profile marriage to Australian singer and actress Dannii Minogue, sister of pop icon Kylie Minogue.
Headline
Thai Police Rescue Eight-year-old Boy Living With Dogs, Unable To Speak
Published
24 hours agoon
July 5, 2025By
Editor
An eight-year-old boy has been rescued in Thailand after authorities discovered him living among dogs and only able to communicate by barking.
According to Dailymail on Friday, the boy, whose name has been withheld, was found on Monday during a welfare check at a ramshackle, drug-infested house in Lap Lae District, Uttaradit Province.
Local reports say the child had been living with his mother, 46, and his 23-year-old brother, both of whom tested positive for drug use after a police raid.
Neighbours revealed that the family had long been isolated from the community, and the boy had no contact with other children. Instead, he spent his days with the family’s six dogs, which he reportedly mimicked.
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“He didn’t speak, he just barked. It was pitiful to see,” said Paveena Hongsakul, president of the activist foundation which worked with police on the rescue.
Authorities said the boy had only attended school once, despite his mother receiving government stipends of around 400 baht (£9) meant to support his education.
“His mother hasn’t allowed him to go to school since he received a subsidy for free education,” Hongsakul explained. “After getting the money, she simply kept him at home.”
Neighbours were said to have forbidden their children from playing with the young boy due to the family’s behaviour.
The mother was reportedly known in the area for begging at temples and has now been charged with drug use.
READ ALSO:
A local teacher described the boy’s environment as a “red zone for drugs” and said that neighbours forbade their children from interacting with him.
‘The house is in a red zone for drugs,’ one teacher explained. ”The boy had no one, just the dogs to play with.”
The disturbing situation came to light after a headteacher raised the alarm, prompting activists and police to raid the house on June 30.
Images shared in Thai media showed authorities at the shack surrounded by trees and several dogs.
Following the rescue, the boy was taken to a children’s home, where he will receive medical and psychological care.
READ ALSO:
Ms Hongsakul, of the Foundation for Children and Women, will work with authorities to ensure the child receives continuous education, and her organisation will monitor his progress.
Images from the scene showed authorities standing around a small family in a wooded area with several dogs on site. Credit: Dailymail
Images from the scene showed authorities standing around a small family in a wooded area with several dogs on site. Credit: Dailymail
“The boy will be given a chance at a good life. We’ll follow up with him to make sure he gets everything he needs,” she said.
Cases of so-called “feral children”, youngsters raised with little or no human contact, are extremely rare but often highlight the severe consequences of neglect.
Experts cite the example of Oxana Malaya, a Ukrainian girl found in 1991 living with dogs after her parents abandoned her. Though she eventually learned to speak and reintegrated into society, she still struggled with some developmental challenges.
Authorities in Thailand say they are committed to giving the rescued boy a fresh start and the chance to live a normal life.
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