Minimum Salary Threshold to be Simplified
December 2, 2016
As part of the Indian government’s efforts to simplify the Indian visa system, the annual salary threshold for foreign nationals to be eligible for the employment visa category will be changed to INR 1,625,000 from USD 25,000. The reason for the change from USD to an amount in INR is primarily to protect employers and foreign employees from falling below the threshold due to foreign exchange fluctuation.
Effect on Teachers’ Salaries
All teachers will likely be exempt from the above threshold and their annual salary must be at least INR 910,000. Currently, only foreign language teachers are exempt from this minimum salary requirement. The forthcoming official government notification should provide more clarity on exemptions and other specific information for teachers.
What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals
This decision to change the minimum salary threshold from USD to an amount in INR should benefit employers and foreign workers as this figure will not change due to foreign exchange fluctuation. This should also make it easier for foreign nationals to remain eligible for an employment visa when they renew their visa applications.
Fragomen India is monitoring the developments and will issue a detailed update once the official government notification is released.
We worked closely with Fragomen Immigration Services India (Pvt.) Limited ("Fragomen-India") to prepare this alert. It is provided 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].
Fragomen in India is Fragomen Immigration Services India (Pvt) Ltd., operating exclusively as an immigration consultancy and not as a law firm in India.
