New Delhi
19 October 2009
Applicants for Indian employment visa can expect to get a response within 60
days from the date of application. The shorter waiting time is to discourage applicants
from short-circuiting the Indian system by applying for business visa when they should
opt for employment visa.
Unlike business visa issued by the Indian missions abroad, employment visa generally
takes longer to process because the application is referred to New Delhi for necessary
instruction from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is competent authority and gives
approval for such visas.
A source familiar with the Indian visa processes clarified that the visa regime has not
been changed; it has only been streamlined after factoring in the recent instances of
misuse of Indian business visa by some Chinese nationals and applicants of other
nationalities.
Soon, an applicant will know within two months whether his / her request for employment
visa has been accepted or rejected.
New Delhi detected instances of misuse of business visa, generally meant for skilled
workers such as information technology professionals, engineers and scientists, by
semi-skilled Chinese nationals who were brought here for working on infrastructure
projects bagged by the Chinese companies.
Recently, New Delhi asked these Chinese nationals to convert their business visa to
employment visa.
India is learnt to have issued over 1.6 lakh business visas valid for six months or more
with multiple entries to the Chinese nationals since 2007, out of which over 32,000 were
granted till June this year. About 30,000 business visas were used to bring in semi-
skilled Chinese workforce.
It is not peculiar to the Chinese. New Delhi is understood to have taken up the issue with
other countries, too.
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