Foreigners coming to India to pay up to 50% more for visas
NEW DELHI: In a bid to rationalise and modify the levy charged from foreign nationals visiting India, the government has increased the visa fee up to 50% across categories.
The hike in the short-term employment visa comes in the wake of countries such as Australia, the US and New Zealand either planning or having already put in place work visa curbs. Though the numbers of foreign nationals working in India are few, the hike is being seen as a tit for tat measure.
The government had recently increased the fee in different categories for the US, the UK, Canada, Israel, Iran and UAE nationals.
The fee hike, which is periodic and mostly reciprocal, is sweeping this time as it is being touted as an effort to “rationlise the entry fee charges” and “modify” it in sync with what most countries charge, sources said.
As per a government notifica-
tion, a tourist visa up to one year will now cost $153 from the earlier $100. The tourist visa for over a year and up to five years will cost $306 instead of $120.
However, there are exceptions. For instance, the UK nationals, who used to cough up $162 for a tourist visa up to a year, will now pay $248 . And for a five year tourist visa, they will pay $741 instead of $484.
Sweeping changes in the visa fee structure for UK nationals is on account of reciprocity, said a source. For the employment visa, nationals from Canada, Ireland,
France, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand will now pay $459 instead of $300 for a visa spanning over a year and up to five years.
When it comes to short-term working visa, Israelis continue to cough up the most. They will now pay $ 1, 714 instead of $1,120. The fee for Pakistan nationals across categories has been increased from ₹15 to ₹100. “The labour markets abroad are in a constant flux. Labour exporting countries such as India needs well thought out measures to address these challenges,” says S Irudayarajan, an expert on migration studies. CHENNAI: Rajinikanth can get rid of his shadow. So goes the joke. But if he actually does, he will be following in the footsteps of Tamil Nadu’s past superstars such as MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa who made a successful transition from acting to politics.
The 66-year-old former bus conductor, born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, is taking tentative steps in playing a role he never played before despite the wishes of his legions of fans — a real-life politician in a state where politics and films are intertwined.
The mystery surrounding his political debut is growing in heroworshipped Tamil politics ever since speculation swirled that the BJP is wooing the star to gain a toehold in this southern state.
Besides, he is expected to fill the political vacuum that the death of yesteryear matinee idol and AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa created last December.
The suspense is not if but when Rajinikanth will enter politics. If sources close to him are to be believed, he will announce a new outfit, and pull good, incorrupt people to his side.
Among those counselling Rajinikanth is Tughlak editor, chartered accountant and rightwing ideologue S Gurumurthy. He declared in a recent television interview that the star will join politics with a brand new party.
But critics point to Rajinikanth’s political inexperience and his apparent reluctance to take a stand on issues beguiling the state such as the Cauvery water-sharing discord with Karnataka, ethnic Sri Lankan Tamils, or Hindi, the language the state has opposed for long.
No wonder, BJP leader and state-mate Subramanian Swamy declared him unfit to join politics.
Ramu Manivannan, a professor at Madras University, has a similar opinion.
“Rajinikanth is more of a 14-reel leader than a real leader. Once in the political arena, he will find the ground reality hitting him very badly ... he is not MGR and he is hollow and has carefully built his film career.” But the teacher clarified this is his independent opinion.
Much the same was said about Jayalalithaa when she jumped from the silver screen to the heat and dust of electoral politics. The demure Jaya morphed from being MGR’s shadow to become everyone’s charismatic Amma.
And much like her, or even more, Rajinikanth has a fan following across India and abroad.
But such clubs may not readily translate into political support. Political analyst Bernard D Sami of Loyola College said: “His fans come from different parties and the moment politics comes up, they may go their own way.”