Before Covid, LAC standoff, India saw 3rd highest e-visa arrivals from China
Before the pandemic began and Indian forces were locked in a clash with the Chinese PLA in Ladakh, India witnessed the highest number of arrivals from China on e-visas in 2018 and 2019, the government told parliament on Wednesday.
Citizens of only two countries, the United States and the United Kingdom, were ahead of China in obtaining electronic visas to reach India, the government said.
According to data provided by the government, up to 2,26,210 Chinese nationals arrived in India with various electronic visas for tourism, business, conferences and medical treatment in 2019. This was a marked increase over 2018, when 1,63,146 Chinese arrived. . in India with electronic visa registration: a growth of almost 40%.
India issued a total of 24,70,273 electronic visas in 2018 and 28,87,220 in 2019 to citizens of 166 countries.
Government data shows that the highest number of e-visa arrivals in 2019 was from the UK with 3.74,273 followed by the US with 3.48,068. Compared to 2018, while arrivals from the UK had marginally decreased, those from the US had increased by roughly 20%.
Other countries that had a large number of electronic visas for India in 2019 were France (1.38,883), Malaysia (1.37,871) and Russia (1.31,125). Both Malaysia and Russia saw an almost 100% increase in the use of electronic visas for India in 2019 compared to 2018.
The information was provided by MoS, Home, Nityanand Rai in a written response to a question from BJP MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe about the total arrivals to India with electronic visas and the measures taken by the government to ensure that undesirable elements do not enter the country.
“To prevent the entry of undesirable persons into India through the use of the electronic visa facility, there is a screening mechanism which involves checking the background of each and every electronic visa applicants against the database of people on the adverse list, “Rai said.
India suspended the issuance of visas to foreigners in the wake of the pandemic in March last year and has only partially liberalized it since the opening of the shutdown. Since the pandemic and the confrontation in Ladakh, India has further tightened visa regulations for those arriving from China.
“The Indian Missions are issuing visas to foreigners through the Immigration, Visa, Registration and Tracking of Foreigners (IVFRT) system based on the visa policy established by the Central Government. Currently, 180 Indian missions are connected to the IVFRT system. Foreigners applying for an Indian visa must apply online at https://indianvisaonline.gov.in. Whenever the Central Government makes changes to the visa issuance system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately shares them with the Indian missions abroad. The guidelines are also uploaded to the web portal immediately for use by visa officers in Missions abroad, ”Rai said.
An electronic visa or electronic visa is a facility that India extends to foreigners where they can apply for the Indian visa online. On November 27, 2014, the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) facility began operating for citizens of more than 40 eligible countries, including those who are eligible for visa upon arrival. The list was expanded to 113 countries in August 2015 and has since expanded further. ETA is issued for tourism, visits to friends and family, short-term medical treatment, and business visits.
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