Work permit - time frame

How long does it take to obtain a work permit and dependent permits for India. Is it a lenghthy process or pretty straight forward? We hold Canadian citizenship.

I typically waited 2-3 weeks for my E visa, though my last one was in 2008 and things have tightened up since then. It's at least partly a function of your qualifications and if a capable local might be able to fill the position. My US employer had about 4k Indians on the payroll, so letting me in as the sole foreigner wasn't a big deal. Don't know about the dependent permits, which will be X visas.

My last one was applied for in the UK in 2010 and also took 3 weeks. Which was a bit annoying because I applied for it 2 months before I really needed it, in case it took ages.... why they can't make it so that your visa takes effect on the day you start work here, I'll never know.

I would not expect anyone to be able to accurately predict your own experience though - it seems that consulates and embassies around the world all have very different criteria and levels of efficiency. It also depends on your background - if you have a Pakistani or Afghani family you might find this adversely affects things for example.

Good luck!

Thank you. That really helps. We are in Delhi at the moment on a previsit, mostly viewing apartments and looking at schools.