Immigration Advice Work Permits

The types of Indian visas offered for short-term relocation to the country include Indian business visa, Indian work permit, Indian tourist visa, Indian student visa and Indian medical visa, commonly known as the “M” visa.

There are two types of Indian business visa; the single type and the multiple entry type and both require a letter from the sponsoring India-based company and an introductory letter from the employer of the applicant in his country of residence.

Indian work permits are required by employers if they are to recruit skilled workers from abroad. They are also usually granted for applicants who are required to work in a specialty occupation.

Indian tourist visas are valid for six months and do not allow their holders to work in the country during their stay.

Indian student visas are given to students who wish to study in the country and their validity depends either on the applicant’s course or for a maximum of five years.

Indian Medical visas, or M visas, are given to foreign nationals who wish to visit the country for medical treatment. This visa is valid for one year, but can be extended as long as the applicant provides proof that continued treatment is necessary. As with normal tourist visas, medical visas are strictly a temporary route and do not offer a way of gaining permanent residency in the country.

For permanent residency in India, the country offers Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cards and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards. PIO cards, which are granted for 15 years, allow their holders to travel in and out of the country, while OCI cards are granted for life and also offer all the benefits of the PIO card.

Work permits are usually sponsored by Indian employers that hire workers overseas and the requirements for this type of visa are loosely defined. In deciding which visa application to approve, the immigration authority seems to rely, more or less, on subjective reasoning rather than on pre-defined criteria.

Unlike a business visa, a work permit allows aliens to work as soon as they move to India. Work visas can be extended to one more year at the end of the prescribed term.

Both Indian embassies and the High Commissions process visa applications. Applicants can also send their application form through the Indian company that sponsors them. Once the sponsoring employer approves the job offer, various documents will be required by the immigration authority, including the prescribed visa application form, passport, residential certificate, employment certificates and proof of employer sponsorship.

Another way by which skilled workers can move to India is through the Intra Company Transfer (E) visa. This type of visa is designed for foreigners who move to India due to job relocation. This E visa is intended to facilitate the movement of critical employees of multinational companies. As with the regular work permit, the E visa has poorly defined criteria, though a four-year college degree and labour shortage are known to be some of the deciding factors.

Work permits also allow spouses and dependents to move to India. However, dependents cannot work in the country unless they qualify for a work visa in their own capacity.