- India’s Department for Promotion of Industry launches new digital platform.
- Companies can generate sponsorship letters to invite foreign professionals.
- Visa forms simplified and additional ministerial approvals are no longer required.
NEW DELHI: India has reformed its business visa system to facilitate the movement of foreign engineers and technicians, the government said in a statement, which will be a boost for local firms that rely on Chinese professionals for manufacturing services.
India’s Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade said late Wednesday that it had launched a new digital platform last month for companies to generate sponsorship letters to invite foreign professionals, has simplified visa forms and will no longer ask relevant ministries for further recommendations.
The visas have been relaxed for, among other things, factory installation, commissioning, maintenance and production. Indian companies predominantly rely on Chinese professionals for such services and to train local staff, especially in factories using Chinese machinery.
Reuters reported last week that India has cut red tape to speed up visas for Chinese professionals in a sign of improved ties between the two nations.
India had blocked virtually all Chinese visits after the nuclear-armed neighbors clashed on their Himalayan border in mid-2020, extending its controls on business visas beyond the home and foreign ministries.
The removal of red tape comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China this year for the first time in seven years, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and discussed ways to improve ties.
In the face of punishing US tariffs, Modi has cautiously revived ties with Beijing.
The Observer Research Foundation think tank estimated that the tighter controls on visas led to production losses of $15 billion over four years for Indian electronics manufacturers, which import key machinery from China.
Major Chinese electronics companies, such as Xiaomi, have also struggled to obtain visas. Industry leaders have said such curbs are hitting their plans to expand in India, while the solar industry has also been hit by a shortage of skilled workers.
