Visa Sub-Categories Introduced

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At a Glance

• In an effort to further simplify the Indian visa system and better track foreign nationals based on the purpose of their visit, the Ministry of Home Affairs in India has introduced new sub-categories for certain visa types.
• Foreign nationals must choose a specific purpose of travel while completing their online application forms.

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The situation

The Ministry of Home Affairs in India has introduced sub-categories for various visa types, like it did for the e-Visa.

A closer look

• Background. Although the sub-category system was introduced in 2017, many embassies and consulates had not implemented this change. Most Indian missions around the world have now implemented the change.
• Visa types with new sub-categories. The following visa types now have sub-categories: Tourist Visa, Business Visa, Employment Visa, Project Visa, Intern Visa, Student Visa, Research Visa, Conference Visa, Missionary Visa, Journalist Visa, Entry Visa, Diplomatic Visa, Official Visa, UN Diplomat Visa, UN Official Visa.
• Examples of sub-categories.

• Document requirements. Document requirements for all the above visas remain the same as per the current process.
• Processing time. The processing times remain the same as per the current process.

 

Impact for foreign nationals

Foreign nationals must now choose a specific purpose of travel while completing their online application forms, based on their specific visa sub-category.

As the implementation is pending in a few Indian embassies and consulates, foreign nationals should contact their immigration consultant to determine how to complete the relevant application forms.

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].