Immigration Policies Further Relaxed

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At a Glance

The Ministry of Home Affairs has further relaxed Indian immigration policies in order to increase investment and attract foreign nationals to the country. Existing regulations and processes have been streamlined to ease the mobility of foreign nationals to India as well as their movement within India. Key changes and clarifications are focused on the following topics, among others:

• Electronic Visa sub-categories;
• Employment and business visa extensions; and
• Reduced minimum salary threshold for interns.

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The situation

The Ministry of Home Affairs has released more updates to Indian immigration policy in order to increase investment and attract foreign nationals to the country.  All changes are effective immediately.

A closer look

Key guidelines and clarifications include the following:

• Electronic visa types added. Two new sub-categories (e-Conference and e-Medical Attendant) of electronic visas were added. Previously, there were only three sub-categories (e- Business, e-Medical and e-Tourist).
  • Impact. Foreign nationals accompanying medical visa holders and foreign nationals attending government-sponsored conferences will see streamlined processing and reduced processing times as they now have the option of applying for an electronic visa and not only at Indian embassies or consulates prior to traveling.
     
• Employment and business visa extensions. Foreign nationals in India under employment and business visas can now extend their visas for up to 10 years. Previously, extensions were only granted for up to five years. 
  • Impact. Employment visa holders are no longer required to return to their home country to apply for a new visa after five years. Business visa holders will also benefit from the flexibility of renewing their visas for up to 10 years while in India.
     
• Minimum salary threshold for interns lowered. The minimum salary for interns has been reduced by over 50% to INR 360,000, from INR 780,000 per year.
  • Impact. Employers will be able to more easily hire interns and potentially hire additional interns due to the significant decrease in minimum salary level.

Looking ahead

Additional changes to the immigration policy are expected in phases. Foreign nationals and employers may experience challenges due to delayed and inconsistent implementation of these changes.

Fragomen in India is Fragomen Immigration Services India (Pvt) Ltd., operating exclusively as an immigration consultancy and not as a law firm in India. This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].