Tourist visa registration possible these days? Change visa classification in India?

kmalik

a_f_d -

I believe you misread my statement, which does not contradict "some victims are innocent," and hence ought not be offensive. Your own statement admits that some "victims" are not innocent!

I do not heap all the blame to the "property owners." At the same time, I would like see some of them (the not so innocent victims) to at least admit that they were trying to circumvent Indian law (with local help), and got caught - and perhaps advise others to not take liberties with the law. On a humanitarian level, I have full sympathy and support way for the illegal property owners to unwind the transactions they entered into. However, some of that sympathy does start to fray when they blame everyone but themselves for the predicament.

And, this is also the reason that some of us are sensitive on this thread concerning any hint of liberty with clearly stated Indian law.

stepmyrjov

I find it all annoying that everyone thinks that just because tourist visa's (if you are lucky) are valid for more than months you don't have to leave every 180 days. My current tourist visa is good for 10 years, however I can't stay more than 180 days at a time. I was told this by the FRRO in Alipore, Kolkata.

This link is the website of the Indian Consulate, San Francisco, the same one I received my tourist visa from. http://www.cgisf.org/visa/visa.html

This quote is from the Travisa website, who if you read above link is processing the visas. https://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing...uidelines?id=1

"A Tourist Visa is given to those visiting India for tourism or other non-business related purposes. Valid for 6 months to 10 years. Ten (10) year visa is available only to US citizens under a bilateral arrangement. Irrespective of the duration of validity of visa, on each visit maximum period of stay in India is limited to 6 months (180 days). Multiple entry visas are given. Please note the visa is valid beginning on the day it is issued. So a 6 Month visa issued on January 1 would be valid until June 30."

That makes it very clear to me that I can not more than 180 days on a tourist visa even though my visa is valid for 10 years. No matter what you have to get out by day 180. I went to Nepal recently to "re-start" my 180 days, and the guy at the immigration counter when I was leaving was counting the number of months I had been here just to make sure I wasn't overstaying.

And it also states the same thing on the website for the London High Commission. http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/visa-categories.aspx

"# Tourist visa

A Tourist Visa is given to those visiting India for tourism or other non-business related purposes. Valid for 6 months to 1 year. Irrespective of the duration of validity of visa, on each visit maximum period of stay in India is limited to 6 months (180 days). Multiple entry visas are given. Please note the validity of the visa is effective from the date of issue."


Cheers
~ Stephanie ~

goangoangone

Nobody here has denied that. The fact remains that, here in Goa, people are being registered and told they can stay for 1 year. It's up to them what they do.

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kmalik

Stephanie -

Completely agree with your sentiment; only disagree with the everyone thinks part. I'd rather say that a significant majority on this thread think along the lines you are thinking, and find the persistent and irrelevant reminders of registration (as it that changed the rules of the visa) and illegal stay beyond the length of the visa to be equally annoying as well as misleading.

goangoangone

Nobody said it changes any laws or regulations. It is happenning. Don't tell me, tell the Government.

stepmyrjov

It's not the government that should be informed. It should be the tourist visa holders. If they don't know the terms and conditions of their visa's they will in the end get hurt. Not the government. Don't blame the visa holders ignorance and/or laziness in learning whatever they need to about their visa on the government.

Enough said. Done.

Nick-H

Government issues visa. Government determines conditions and regulations of visas. Government should inform ...its own staff as well as the public.

kmalik

That there is poor follow through at local levels in India isn't (sadly) limited to this area. That it has become the excuse for taking liberties with the law for a certain segment is something else.

As far as informing the public, it seems that umpteen links clearly stating the requirements on this very thread do not seem to be enough for some. Perhaps basic English comprehension courses for the British visitors to Goa might be the most useful thing the Government could offer at this stage. Since the Indian government is not meeting this basic need, perhaps the British high commission or the Sunday Times might be willing to pitch in.

dzibead

A basic English language comprehension course sounds like a good idea to me. But is there a cure for pig-headedness?

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skk

Given community volatilities, I'd argue that the very mention of pigs would give some people a heart attack. But that's their problem, not mine - it won't put my mind all a-twitter, gyrating and circling around like a clownish dervish.

-skk

*jyoti*

I know there are arguments about whether the Brits speak proper English or not, but do you really think they need English courses?