India Launches New Portal to Expedite Business Visas for Chinese Technicians

Posted by Written by Archana Rao Reading Time: 2 minutes

India has launched a new portal to streamline the issuance of business visas for Chinese technicians employed by manufacturing firms under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes. This development follows reports from earlier in July, indicating that measures were being finalized to expedite the visa process in response to concerns from the manufacturing sector that existing restrictions were hampering industrial growth.

India has launched a dedicated portal to expedite visa applications for Chinese technicians. Operational since August 2024, the portal is designed to streamline the visa process for professionals arriving from China. Reports also indicate that India’s Ministry of Home Affairs has held meetings with various departments to ensure they are properly trained in using the new system.

Streamlining Indian visa processes for Chinese professionals

In June 2024, reports surfaced that New Delhi was considering extending visa relaxations to address the needs of domestic manufacturing facilities installing Chinese machinery.

With the launch of a dedicated portal, the process for issuing business visas to Chinese technicians in the PLI sector is expected to be simplified. This platform will expedite visa applications for companies involved in the 14 sectors covered by the PLI schemes.

This initiative is crucial as domestic manufacturing firms have experienced delays in obtaining visas for Chinese technicians, who are essential for tasks such as machine installation, repair, and workforce training in India. The industry had urged the government to address these delays, leading the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to raise the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs.

Necessity to streamline investment from border nations

The PLI scheme, valued at INR 1.97 trillion (US$142 billion), spans 14 sectors, including mobile phones, pharmaceuticals, white goods, telecommunications, textiles, automobiles, drones, and specialty steel.

Typically, these technicians require visas for 3-6 months for tasks like machine installation and training the workforce. However, following the 2020 Press Note 3, India mandated prior approval for foreign investments from countries sharing a land border with India. Between April 2000 and March 2024, India received only US$2.5 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) from China.

(US$1 = INR 83.90)

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