Foreigners on business visa must leave India!

omtapas · Sep 28th, 2009, 10:40

I saw an article in the "Hindu" from the 25th or 26th of September, saying that all foreigners on a business visa have to leave the country by 30th of September...!!!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/n...ow/5057880.cms

and

http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index...839234b2a213c2

capt_mahajan · Sep 28th, 2009, 10:54

The Ahmedabad Mirror (whatever that is) says September. The Times of India says October. I would trust TOI more- which clarifies as quoted below- besides being a national newspaper.

Quote:

: Foreigners with business visa working on various projects in the country have got a respite, with the

government heeding the
representation from China and industry representatives to extend the deadline for them to
get employment visa by one month, till October 31.

Earlier on July 2, the government had set September 30 as the deadline for such professionals/workers to either get a legitimate employment visa or return.

So this has been going on since July.

.. again, TOI,

Quote:

it was found that the Chinese nationals had business visas even though they were performing semi-skilled and unskilled jobs in the project.

The government subsequently decided that business visas will have to be strictly restricted to businessmen and for business purposes alone.

That sounds reasonable.

Nick-H · Sep 28th, 2009, 14:44

Very reasonable.

Astonishing... that thousands are working in unskilled and semi-skilled jobs on business visas!

I don't have any sympathy for anyone flagrantly breaching visa/immigration rules in this way, in fact, quite the opposite, and my political-economic views tend to protectionism rather than globalisation. A government should look after its own people first.

capt_mahajan · Sep 28th, 2009, 15:25

This government, or the next, needs to have a good hard look at visa policies and types, because more and more foreigners are likely to come to India for business or employment reasons in future.

That doesn't just mean restricting them, btw, but having a pragmatic overall view. A lot of educated Indians (eg graduates, engineers etc) are unemployable in the jobs they seek.

Nick-H · Sep 28th, 2009, 16:01

Absolutely. A whole new system, with structure and reason built in, is long overdue.

federica · Sep 28th, 2009, 16:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by capt_mahajan

A lot of educated Indians (eg graduates, engineers etc) are unemployable in the jobs they seek.

Unfortunately this is not only the case in India. But regarding the visa policy: Yes, there should be something done, to give more legal certainty to both sides.

Haylo · Sep 28th, 2009, 20:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by omtapas

all foreigners on a business visa have to leave the country by 30th of September...!!!

That is a rather scaremongering interpretation of the situation. It is not true, surely only those Business Visa holders who are using their Business Visa illegally to work in India have to leave. Frankly, I'm amazed they aren't being deported.

GENUINE businessmen/women who are in India on a Business Visa, for BUSINESS purposes have nothing to worry about.

Quote:

Originally Posted by federica

But regarding the visa policy: Yes, there should be something done, to give more legal certainty to both sides.

What needs to be done? The regulations are already there, and it is already made clear on all the Embassy websites that I've seen that working on a business visa is simply not permitted.

If Indian Embassies have been issuing Business visas to people who were not even entitled to Employment visas, then those people should not be allowed to remain in India.

The rules are very clear already, they say that to work in India you DO need an Employment Visa, and that an Employment Visa should ONLY be issued where a company can satisfy the authorities that the post could not be filled locally.

If the job can be filled locally, it should go to Indian people, not foreigners.

curtdfw · Sep 28th, 2009, 23:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick-H

Absolutely. A whole new system, with structure and reason built in, is long overdue.

With built-in bias toward PIO cardholders...

PVD04 · Sep 29th, 2009, 04:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haylo

That is a rather scaremongering interpretation of the situation. It is not true, surely only those Business Visa holders who are using their Business Visa illegally to work in India have to leave. Frankly, I'm amazed they aren't being deported.

GENUINE businessmen/women who are in India on a Business Visa, for BUSINESS purposes have nothing to worry about.

This is absolutely untrue. I do not know if it is being done across all of India, but in Gujarat ALL foreigners visiting on business visas are being told to leave by September 30th or they will be arrested. A coworker had arrived on Sep 18th for several business meetings and was planning to stay until October 2nd. He is currently on his way back due to warnings from local authorities.

LilBoy BigTown · Sep 29th, 2009, 05:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by PVD04

This is absolutely untrue. I do not know if it is being done across all of India, but in Gujarat ALL foreigners visiting on business visas are being told to leave by September 30th or they will be arrested. A coworker had arrived on Sep 18th for several business meetings and was planning to stay until October 2nd. He is currently on his way back due to warnings from local authorities.

I find it hard to believe. Govt can not issue visas and then kick people out without any rhyme or reason. There must be more to it.

Haylo · Sep 29th, 2009, 05:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by PVD04

I do not know if it is being done across all of India, but in Gujarat ALL foreigners visiting on business visas are being told to leave by September 30th or they will be arrested.

Do you know that, or are you extrapolating that from the experience of your coworker?

Quote:

A coworker had arrived on Sep 18th for several business meetings and was planning to stay until October 2nd. He is currently on his way back due to warnings from local authorities.

When were these "several business meetings"?

Once the meetings are over, people cannot just decide to stay in India for a bit longer because they feel like it, business visas are for exactly that, and that alone, i.e. business.

The article makes a very clear distinction between people illegally working on business visas, and legally entering India solely for the purpose of doing business.

In India it is easy to find examples of regulations being misinterpreted, this whole fiasco of unskilled labour being issued business visas is proof of that in itself, so I can easily believe anything I'm told about visa regulations being misunderstood by local officials - but business visas are still being issued, and genuine businessmen/women who are conducting business in India (note - NOT working in India) ARE doing so legally.

PVD04 · Sep 29th, 2009, 05:23

Here is an article the explains the situation a bit better than the article linked in the first post:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/n...ow/5053028.cms

PVD04 · Sep 29th, 2009, 05:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Haylo

Do you know that, or are you extrapolating that from the experience of your coworker?

When were these "several business meetings"?

Once the meetings are over, people cannot just decide to stay in India for a bit longer because they feel like it, business visas are for exactly that, and that alone, i.e. business.

The article makes a very clear distinction between people illegally working on business visas, and legally entering India solely for the purpose of doing business.

In India it is easy to find examples of regulations being misinterpreted, this whole fiasco of unskilled labour being issued business visas is proof of that in itself, so I can easily believe anything I'm told about visa regulations being misunderstood by local officials - but business visas are still being issued, and genuine businessmen/women who are conducting business in India (note - NOT working in India) ARE doing so legally.

He had meetings scheduled throughout his trip, with the final meeting scheduled for October 1st. This article is a better description of what is happening in Gujarat. The part of the article that bothers me is the US national who has been living in Ahmedabad for the last two years is complaining. He is part of the reason that this is happening. Unfortunately the local authorities are interpreting the order as applying to all people on business visas.

nycank · Sep 29th, 2009, 12:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by PVD04

Here is an article the explains the situation a bit better than the article linked in the first post:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/n...ow/5053028.cms

Now clearly this is pushing Business visa concept a bit too far..

Quote:

"This is rather rude and a very short notice. We are not sure what to do now," said a US national, who has been living in Ahmedabad for the past two years.

alfromscotland · Sep 29th, 2009, 12:30

can anyone confirm if this is nationwide or just restricted to Gujarat?

Sep 28th, 2009, 10:40	#1
omtapas Be happy for this moment, this is all you have. Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Puttaparthi Posts: 45	Foreigners on business visa must leave India! I saw an article in the "Hindu" from the 25th or 26th of September, saying that all foreigners on a business visa have to leave the country by 30th of September...!!! http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/n...ow/5057880.cms and http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index...839234b2a213c2 __________________ Videos about my trips and more: http://www.youtube.com/omtapas Om Sai Ram - Tapas Last edited by omtapas : Sep 28th, 2009 at 10:52. Reason: change of title

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Sep 28th, 2009, 14:44	#3
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,225	Very reasonable. Astonishing... that thousands are working in unskilled and semi-skilled jobs on business visas! I don't have any sympathy for anyone flagrantly breaching visa/immigration rules in this way, in fact, quite the opposite, and my political-economic views tend to protectionism rather than globalisation. A government should look after its own people first.

Sep 28th, 2009, 15:25	#4
capt_mahajan Infidel Sufi Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: styx Posts: 13,608	This government, or the next, needs to have a good hard look at visa policies and types, because more and more foreigners are likely to come to India for business or employment reasons in future. That doesn't just mean restricting them, btw, but having a pragmatic overall view. A lot of educated Indians (eg graduates, engineers etc) are unemployable in the jobs they seek.

Sep 28th, 2009, 16:01	#5
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,225	Absolutely. A whole new system, with structure and reason built in, is long overdue.

Sep 29th, 2009, 05:23	#12
PVD04 Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 4	Here is an article the explains the situation a bit better than the article linked in the first post: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/n...ow/5053028.cms

Sep 29th, 2009, 12:30	#15
alfromscotland Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Aberdeen Posts: 1	can anyone confirm if this is nationwide or just restricted to Gujarat?