Visa, residency & overstay help — by country
Residency permits, visa cancellation and grace periods, exit permits, and overstay fines: these are the official immigration authorities in each country, with the portal or app to manage your status.
Overstay fines accrue per day, so act inside the grace period after a visa is cancelled. Watch for announced amnesty windows — the Gulf states periodically let people regularise status or leave without paying accumulated fines or facing a re-entry ban.
| Country | Official body | Call | Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | USCISGreen cards, work authorization, naturalization and humanitarian applications; use an accredited representative or a nonprofit, never a 'notario'.Legal basis: Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) | — | www.uscis.gov |
| United Arab Emirates | ICPHandles residency visas, visa cancellation and grace periods, overstay fines, and status regularisation. Amnesty windows to fix overstay are announced through the ICP.Legal basis: Entry and Residence of Foreigners Law (Federal Law 6/1973, as amended) | — | icp.gov.ae/en/services |
| Saudi Arabia | AbsherGovernment services portal for residency (iqama), visas, exit/re-entry permits and dependants — for residents and their sponsors.Legal basis: Residence Regulations (Nizam al-Iqama) | — | www.absher.sa |
| Qatar | Ministry of InteriorResidency permits, exit/travel matters, and Metrash2 services; also where you report crime. Dial 999 for emergencies.Legal basis: Entry, Exit and Residency Law (Law 21/2015) | 999 (emergency) | portal.moi.gov.qa/wps/portal/MOIInternet/home |
| Bahrain | LMRAWork permits, employer transfers and the Wage Protection System; runs the Expatriate Protection Centre and services for migrant workers, including those who have left an abusive employer.Legal basis: Labour Market Regulation Law (Law 19/2006) | — | lmra.bh |
| Kuwait | Ministry of InteriorResidency, travel-ban lookup, and crime/cybercrime reporting. Dial 112 for emergencies.Legal basis: Kuwait's Foreigners' Residence Law | 112 (emergency) | www.moi.gov.kw |
| Oman | Royal Oman Police — Passports & ResidenceHandles residency cards, employment and family-sponsorship visas, exit/travel-ban checks, and overstay matters (fines run at OMR 10/day). Amnesty windows to regularise status are announced through the ROP.Legal basis: Oman Labour Law (Royal Decree 53/2023) and the Foreigners' Residence Law | 9999 (emergency) | www.rop.gov.om/english |
| India | e-FRROForeigners' registration, visa extension, and exit permits online through the FRRO.Legal basis: Foreigners Act 1946 and the Registration of Foreigners Act 1939 | — | indianfrro.gov.in |
| Bangladesh | Department of Immigration & Passports (DIP)Passports and, for foreign nationals, visas and residence permits; passport services (incl. e-passport) for citizens.Legal basis: Passport Act and Foreigners Act frameworks | — | www.dip.gov.bd |
| Indonesia | Directorate General of ImmigrationVisas and stay permits (KITAS/KITAP), overstay matters, and exit/re-entry — for foreign nationals and returning Indonesians.Legal basis: Immigration Law (Law 6/2011) | — | www.imigrasi.go.id |
| France | ANEF (Ministère de l'Intérieur)Residence permits (titre de séjour), renewals and family reunification online; the OFII handles reception, family reunification and the medical route.Legal basis: CESEDA (Code de l'entrée et du séjour des étrangers) | — | administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr |
| Germany | BAMFAsylum decisions and integration courses; residence permits (Aufenthaltstitel) themselves are issued by your local Ausländerbehörde.Legal basis: Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) | — | www.bamf.de |
| Singapore | ICAPermanent residence, citizenship, long-term passes and re-entry permits; work passes themselves are issued by MOM.Legal basis: Immigration Act | — | www.ica.gov.sg |
| Denmark | SIRI / UdlændingestyrelsenResidence and work permits, family reunification and permanent residence; asylum is handled by the Danish Immigration Service.Legal basis: Udlændingeloven (Aliens Act) | — | www.nyidanmark.dk |
| Iceland | ÚtlendingastofnunResidence and work permits, family reunification and asylum; appeals go to the Immigration Appeals Board (Kærunefnd útlendingamála).Legal basis: Act on Foreigners (Lög um útlendinga nr. 80/2016) | — | utl.is |
| Canada | IRCCPermanent residence, work and study permits, citizenship and refugee claims; appeals go to the Immigration and Refugee Board.Legal basis: Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) | — | www.canada.ca/en/services/immigration-citizenship.html |
| Australia | Department of Home AffairsVisas, citizenship and immigration status; visa decisions can be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART).Legal basis: Migration Act 1958 | — | immi.homeaffairs.gov.au |
| New Zealand | Immigration New ZealandVisas, residence and work rights; decisions can be appealed to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal.Legal basis: Immigration Act 2009 | — | www.immigration.govt.nz |
| Mexico | INMResidence and work status (tarjeta de residente), regularisation and stay permits; RENAPO issues the CURP, including for foreigners.Legal basis: Ley de Migración | — | www.inm.gob.mx |
Each entry links to the official body and shows the date we last verified it. This is legal information, not advice, and we don't take payment to list anyone. See the full country directories for every channel, not just the headline one.