New Streamlined Visa Categories Implemented

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At a Glance

• Confirming earlier reports, Ministry of Home Affairs in India has streamlined and consolidated visa categories.
• Foreign nationals can now apply under these new visa categories on the Indian visa application portal.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs is expected to release guidelines in the near future providing more information on the streamlined visa categories.

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The situation

Confirming earlier reports, the Ministry of Home Affairs of India has streamlined and consolidated many visa categories. Foreign nationals can now apply under these new visa categories on the Indian visa application portal.

A closer look

Major changes to visa categories include:

VISA CATEGORY	DESCRIPTION OF CHANGE	IMPACT
Employment visa	The Project visa, which is used for foreign nationals entering India to execute projects in the power and steel industry, is now a sub-category under the Employment visa category, instead of a stand-alone category.	The activities and eligibility requirements are expected to remain the same for the Project visa but will be confirmed once the guidelines are released.
Student visa	The Intern and Research visas have become sub-categories of the Student visa categories, instead of stand-alone categories.	Intern visa. There is no impact to students pursuing internships during their course of study; however, it is not clear how the change will affect foreign nationals who have completed their graduate or post-graduate courses and were previously eligible for an Intern visa within two years of their date of completion. Research visa. The activities and eligibility requirements are expected to remain the same for the Research visa but will be confirmed once the guidelines are released.

Background

• Streamlining efforts. The introduction of streamlined visa categories is in line with other efforts by the Indian government to streamline immigration processes in the country. For example, the e-visa program was recently expanded and relaxed to encourage tourism and business visits and there is currently a transition to the use of machine-readable travel documents.
• Pending applications. Foreign nationals with pending applications filed at the consular post will be required to submit visa application forms under the new main or sub-category of the visa.
• Foreign nationals currently holding status. Foreign nationals currently holding visa types that have been eliminated will be able to remain in their current status. The local Foreigners’ Regional Registration Officers will likely reassign the relevant sub-category as and when registration or visa extension applications are submitted. 

Looking ahead

The Ministry of Home Affairs is expected to introduce guidelines on the changes to the visa categories soon. Further changes are also expected as the government continues to streamline the immigration system, including allowing persons of Indian origin and spouses or children of Indian nationals to undertake employment, business, study or research opportunities without converting their visa to the appropriate visa category.

 

 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].