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Indian Visa
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,
Days after the tragic Pahalgam attack, Jammu and Kashmir authorities have transported 59 Pakistani nationals to Punjab for their repatriation to their country of origin, officials said here. According to officials, the Pakistani nationals, who were living in the valley for decades and included the mother of Shaurya Chakra awardee Constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh, were collected from various districts and taken in buses to Punjab, where they will be handed over to the Pakistani authorities. Shameema Akhtar, the mother of Constable Mudasir Ahmad Sheikh, who died in May 2022 while fighting terrorists, was one of the deportees. However, she was later allowed to stay back. In a carefully worded clarification, Shameema's brother-in-law Mohammad Younus said martyr Mudasir's mother has returned home as she was not taken for deportation. "We are thankful to the Government of India," Younus said. Earlier, Mudasir's uncle had told reporters that his sister-in-law belonged to Pakistan-occupied
Maharashtra minister Yogesh Kadam on Saturday said 5,000 Pakistani nationals are residing in the state, including 1000 on short term visas who have been asked to leave the country as per the Centre's directives. Some are residing in India since the last 8-10 years, some are married and some are those who have surrendered their Pakistani passport and applied for Indian citizenship, he said. "According to my estimate there could be 4,000 long term visas of which 1,000 are the SAARC visa, those who have come to the state for film work, medical ground, journalism, personal work," Kadam said. The ones with short-term visas have been asked to leave by April 27, while those with medical visas have been given two more days to leave, Kadam said. Following the horrific Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 26 persons were killed, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that all existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from April ..
Bangladesh's interim government led by Muhammad Yunus on Thursday said deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's reported extension of visa was unrelated to Dhaka's request for her extradition to stand trial. We have requested India to return Sheikh Hasina as a Bangladeshi citizen. Her status in India has no relevance to this request. It is not a matter of our consideration, a foreign office spokesman told journalists in a weekly media briefing. Hasina, 77, has been living in India since August 5 last year when she fled Bangladesh following a massive student-led protest that toppled her Awami League's (AL) 16-year regime. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for crimes against humanity and genocide. The interim government on Tuesday said it has revoked the passports of Hasina and 96 others over their alleged involvement in enforced disappearances and the J
India has launched two special category visa for international students intending to pursue higher education in academic institutions in the country. The 'e-student visa' and 'e-student-x' visa have been introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs and all applicants will have to use the 'Study in India' (SII) portal launched by the government, officials said. The e-student visa facility can be availed by eligible foreign students registered on the SII portal while e-student-x visa is offered to the dependents of those holding e-student visas, they said. The SII portal facilitates the admission process of international students who wish to pursue either long-term or short-term courses in India. Students will need to apply for a visa separately on the portal https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/ but the authenticity of their application will be checked by SII ID. Hence it is mandatory for students to apply to Indian higher educational institutions through SII website, the officials ...
The government's initiative to expedite visas of Chinese technicians, whose expertise is required in Indian manufacturing firms in the PLI sector, is providing relief to such companies, a senior government official said on Wednesday. Earlier lot of firms used to flag the issue of delay in getting visas for Chinese technicians, who are required for works like installation or repair of certain machines, besides training workers in India. "Now that pendency has come down. Lot of improvement is there. There is a relief in this for those companies. The Ministry of Home Affairs has taken action pro-actively. In the last two months, things have improved a lot," the official said. A portal to facilitate these business visas was started to streamline the process. The PLI (production linked incentive scheme) scheme was announced in 2021 for 14 sectors, including telecommunication, white goods, textiles, manufacturing of medical devices, automobiles, speciality steel, food products, ...