India granted over 9.6 million e-visas since 2020: Govt tells Parliament

India has granted over 96 lakh e-visas to foreigners from 2020 till July 20 this year, the government informed Parliament on Thursday.

In a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh also said the number of countries eligible for the e-visa facility has increased from 171 in 2020 to 181 in 2025.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was asked for the total number of e-visas granted and the increase in the number of countries eligible for the facility since 2020.

"Total number of e-visas granted from 2020 to 20.07.2025 is 96,44,567," Singh said.

The MEA was also asked about its role in assisting international pilgrims, including details related to Hajj and Sikh pilgrims.

"Each year, the Saudi authorities announce a Hajj quota for India. In recent years, this quota has, on average, been set at 1,75,025 Indian pilgrims," Singh said.

Regarding the Kartarpur Corridor, the Minister of State said, "Since its inauguration, the corridor has been used by over 4,00,000 pilgrims to visit the holy Gurdwara in Pakistan."  However, he noted, "Kartarpur Corridor operations have been suspended since Operation Sindoor."  Under the India-Pakistan Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, 1974, the government facilitates visits of pilgrims between the two countries.

"An agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the facilitation of pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Narowal, Pakistan, was signed on 24 October, 2019, in order to fulfil the long-standing demand of pilgrims for easy and smooth access to the holy Gurdwara and to operationalise the corridor for the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji," he said.

In a separate query, the MEA was asked for the total number of Indian labourers engaged in construction or labour-intensive work in foreign countries over the last five years.

"As per available data, a total of 16,06,964 Indian workers (including those engaged in construction/labour-intensive works) holding Emigration Check Required (ECR) category passports have been issued Emigration Clearance (EC) for employment in ECR countries during the last five years from January 2020 to 30 June, 2025," Singh said.

In another query, the MEA was asked whether the government had undertaken any exercise to categorise Indian diaspora members based on their discipline, subject expertise, or skill sets.

In response, Singh said the Government of India maintains country-wise data of the Indian diaspora, categorised into NRIs (Indian citizens residing abroad), PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin), and Indian students studying abroad.

As of January 2025, there are 17.17 million NRIs and 17.18 million PIOs residing across the world, including 1.88 million Indian students studying abroad. "The Government has not carried out any exercise to categorise the Indian diaspora on the basis of their discipline/subject expertise or to map their skill sets," he said.