India considering speeding up visa process for Chinese technicians
An official said the trade ministry backs the plan to speed up visa approvals and the foreign ministry is considering it positively despite initial objections. Citing an industry estimate, the electronics manufacturing sector alone has suffered a production loss of $15 billion over the last four years due to the visa issue.
India is considering speeding up the visa issuance process for Chinese technicians. Officials familiar with the matter said the move is aimed at eliminating delays in manufacturing units.
About 1,600 visa applications for Chinese technicians have been received between November last and April this year. The official said a new fast-track portal will be set up to reduce the time for visa approval decisions from a year to less than a month. These visas will allow Chinese technicians to stay for up to six months.
An official said the Commerce Ministry backs the plan to expedite visa approvals and despite initial objections, the Foreign Ministry is considering it positively. Domestic industry and government officials have urged the Foreign Ministry to expedite the issue.
The Commerce Ministry, Home Ministry, and Foreign Ministry have not commented on this. Industries ranging from telecom to steel products and solar panels require technicians to operate machinery made in China. Citing an industry estimate, the electronics manufacturing sector alone has suffered a production loss of $15 billion over the past four years due to the visa issue.
