In a bid to scale back visa processing time to simply 30 days from the present 5 months, the Indian authorities is collaborating carefully with the House and Exterior Affairs ministries to streamline visa rules for Chinese language technicians.
This initiative follows vocal considerations from companies that present restrictions are impeding India’s ambition to emerge as a distinguished manufacturing hub.
Sources who’re confidential to the matter revealed to Bloomberg that the Division of Promotion of Trade and Inner Commerce is actively creating a complete framework to facilitate expedited visas for engineers and technicians important for putting in Chinese language-manufactured equipment in Indian industrial setups.
The transfer comes within the wake of stringent measures carried out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration in opposition to China after a deadly border battle in 2020, which considerably strained bilateral relations.
These measures included prohibiting a number of Chinese language cell purposes, a slowdown in approvals for Chinese language investments and visas, and a discount within the variety of direct flights connecting the 2 nations.
In a notable shift, information from native media sources signifies a drastic decline within the issuance of visas to Chinese language nationals by India, with roughly 2,000 visas granted in 2024 in comparison with about 200,000 visas issued earlier than the onset of the pandemic in 2019.
Now, in an effort to simplify the cumbersome visa procedures, experiences counsel that the federal government is considering reforms to allow firms in specified sectors that obtain governmental subsidies to use for enterprise visas to accommodate Chinese language staff.
At current, solely manufacturing corporations accredited below incentive schemes are eligible to hunt such visas, whereas others are required to navigate extra intricate employment allow formalities involving intensive documentation.
India’s heavy dependence on imports from China, significantly equipment essential for manufacturing operations, underscores the significance of Chinese language engineers for set up, upkeep, and operational coaching inside Indian amenities.
Stakeholders within the enterprise neighborhood have voiced apprehensions that the federal government’s stringent stance vis-a-vis Beijing is undercutting India’s manufacturing drive and undermining substantial subsidies prolonged to electronics, automotive, and pharmaceutical sectors.
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