India is considering Visa on Arrival for UK USA Germany France and Japan Nationals

chrisindiaaddict

Hi All IMers

Here is a good news

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily...=1208432603906

Regards
Chris

johnny five

Can you elaborate please Chris, followed you link and the only visa ref I can find is about Asean members (Indias immediate trading neighbours)
J5

chrisindiaaddict

Hi,

Here is the extract

The tourism ministry’s proposal to grant visa-on-arrival to 18 countries has long been pending with home ministry. Citing security concerns and lack of infrastructure, home ministry has been deferring the proposal. It has, however, now agreed to allow visa-on-arrival to few countries on pilot-basis and reciprocity. He said that the issue would be resolved soon .

Enjoy !!!!
Chris

IVAN

Is a list of the 18 countries anywhere to find?

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curtdfw

Here are three articles:

From 2001
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...2059573608.cms

From 2003
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...w/38671622.cms

From 2007
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...ow/1489195.cms

In other words, boys and girls, don't expect it anytime soon....

Wonderonomic

That would make travel plans more complicated, since you would not know for how long the visa on arrival will be issued.
That will leave you totally at the whim of the official at the airport.
If you planned your return flight in 4 month and he only grants you 3 ???
I think they could do without visas as good. I doubt that the revenue generated by the visa fees covers the administration costs.
So it is a useless procedure of the past.
Why should India care who stays for how long. Even if foreigners work there, why care? They are generating income for Indians as well.
Terrorists as we have seen do not apply for visas, so what screening is there really? And is it worth the cost?

dhans

Welcome wonderonomic.

As bureaucracy is written as bureaucrazy in India, don't be amazed at anything and arrange everything while still at home.

Hans

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Wonderonomic

dHans, you are right, even now on the one hand the visa form requires a departure date, when you cant be sure of the visa?
I ended up 2 days short on my visa this year and had to rescedule my flight another €55. Because the embassy processed the visa too quickly. It said allow time, send in early.
I put down the flight dates. No use, visa for exactly 180 days, no day longer.
If anybody had looked at the form they would have seen it is gonna be 2 days short.

Maybe with visa on arrival one would have somebody to talk to at least??? Not just a stamping machine???

claurianta

Ummm... the trouble is the word "reciprocity"... which would mean that any country whose citizens get visa-on-arrival in India must provide the same facility to Indians. Hence, dream on.

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Haylo

There is not a single European country which would offer reciprocal visa on arrival to Indian citizens, and the tourism ministry knows it. Either this is political posturing, or it has been misreported.

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Wonderonomic

I mean reciprocity with India is a tough one for any higher earning country. I mean from the economic refugee standpoint.
I think India would nevertheless profit by doing away with visas.
Is one worry less, everybody welcome.
It is not that migrants will swamp India from europe or north america, or any country I know of in any numbers that matter.
Face the fact: India is one of the poorer countries on the globe and not sought out for economic migration???
So reciprocity will be hard to get.

But if India said: All are welcome to come, No visa required.
Passport check yes of course and if of criminal history then no.

This would be a precedent for India in taking the first step of good will, and it would attract more tourism and business than ever any other hard to administer program can.
Would make sense?????

Wonderonomic

It is a new approach granted, but not much to loose?
Waiting for reciprocity on the other hand is a hopless wish.

A million more people in India do not matter.
What would surely matter is their expertise, and what they will do for India in their lives there.

My feeling is that a lot of brainpower is drained off India, as everyone seeks better incomes in US and the EU or the Arab states.

What better way is there to entice someboby to tell him he can settle in India and no hassle?

Nick-H

Read the Goa Property threads and find out what India actual does think of foreigners settling here. Not much!

Mike Cork

This was in the press when I was in Goa last Jan/Feb. I kept the press cutting and on my return home I enquired at the HCI and then at the IC in Birmingham when I got my last visas in May.

Neither had heard anything about this new change..

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Nick-H

It's been in the talking-about stage for ages. And ages.

Don't hold your breath!